There for you
by crimsonfirefly7
Summary: Two of the most popular rock bands in the country are making music history under the same record label. What happens when they are forced together even though their lead singers, Edward Cullen and Bella Swan absolutely despise each other. All Human.
1. Prologue

_I do not own any of the characters below, they all belong to the great SM._

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Prologue - BPOV

I was sitting in the audience waiting for the moment that my life may change forever. All of the hard work we've put in over the last year will finally give us the biggest payoff of our lives.

It's not like we planned any of this when we first started fooling around in the garage with our instruments while in grade school. My mom made sure my brother and I knew how to play at least one instrument when we were kids. Who would have thought that we'd put that particular hobby into good use as adults. Emmett, my brother, plays the drums just as enthusiastically as he did when he was twelve years old. He always acted like he was a rock star even when we would play for all of our junior high friends. The girls would always giggle when he would wink at them while going through his solos. I, on the other hand, play the guitar and keyboards. We couldn't find an acceptable voice to go along with our music so I also ended up being the lead singer. We made Emmett's friend Tyler join our band and play the bass. He wasn't what you would call musically gifted but we taught him the basics and he could at least carry a tune. We used to play cover tunes from Pat Benetar, Joan Jett, and Lita Ford but it was just for fun. Once high school hit, we wanted to get a little more out of music so we started toying with our own music and lyrics. We had some pretty good music written but that kind of got put on hiatus when Emmett left for college a year before me. I continued to write and play but didn't really expect to have anything beyond the occasional jam session with my brother.

It wasn't until Emmett and I were both in college at the University of Washington that we decided to continue where we left off and play our own stuff. Unfortunately, Tyler went to UCLA after graduation so we needed to find a new bassist and possibly another guitar player. We started scouring the classifieds looking for musicians that we could recruit to join our band. We lucked out when I found a flyer hanging up in the student union building advertising a live acoustical show down at one of the local college bars. Emmett and I decided to check it out and are we ever glad that we did. We found the final missing pieces of our band that night, Alec Rogers and Quil Matthews. Alec is one of the best guitar players that I've ever heard and Quil plays the bass like he was born with one in his hands. They were a little hesitant to join us when they found out that I was the lead singer. That went out the window once they came over and heard a couple of songs that Emmett and I had put together. They both smiled the biggest smiles like they had struck gold and asked when they could bring their instruments over. We all clicked immediately and decided that we'd all rent a house together after my freshmen year to keep up with writing and practicing. Emmett and Alec were a year ahead of Quil and I but they were both taking less classes so that we could graduate together, the four of us, Crimson Eyes. We started playing at small campus parties as well as various music events around the area and soon had a pretty good following. We were becoming pretty well known for our original music and soon we were getting calls from bars all around the city asking us to play. Even though music was a big part of our lives through college, we all agreed that we needed to keep up with our studies and graduate before we attempted a music career. So that's what we did. Emmett got his degree in Communication while Alec's is in Music with a teaching degree to go along with it. Quil graduated with a degree in Computer Science and I received mine in Comparative Literature with a minor in Drama. We thought the drama addition would help me with our stage presence. All of our majors centered around the band in the hopes we would make it big someday.

My best friend, Alice Brandon is always telling us that we're going to be known all over the world. I met her during one of my drama classes when she was working on designing the costumes we were going to wear for one of the plays. She was majoring in Photography but was taking Drama so she could fulfill her need to design clothes. She moved in with us during my Junior year since we had a spare bedroom and has been designing our, or should I say my, outfits for gig's ever since. Not only does she handle my clothes, but she is my own personal make-up and hair stylist. I've tried to tell her that she doesn't have to do these things for me but she insists. She also puts together posters, t-shirts, and all of the other marketing devices needed to get our name out there. I don't know what I would do without her and I promised that if we did make it in the music industry, she would be a part of it. After all, she is one of us even if she's not up on the stage with us. Alice also takes care of the behind-the-scenes stuff such as scheduling gigs and making sure we all have everything we need. She's probably the most organized person I've ever met in my life.

Now as I look to my right, I see Emmett, Alec, Quil, and Alice watching the events folding out in front of us on the most elaborate stage I've ever seen. Who would have thought that we'd receive a Grammy nomination for best rock band of the year six months after our debut album was released. It's like a dream come true. I feel like I keep waiting for the bubble to burst that will wake me up.

It's been a whirlwind since the first day that we walked into Vamp Records and they offered us a record deal. We were able to put an entire album together in four months that went platinum within the first 60 days of release. Due to the fact that we were so new in the industry, it was decided that we would make several music videos and go on as many TV shows as possible as the musical guest. Cauis, the music executive that was in charge of finding new talent at Vamp Records said they wanted to see how we were doing in the charts before they sent us on tour. I guess that's probably a good thing since we have spent a lot of time traveling from coast to coast for special appearances. I'm guessing that the tour thing will be decided after tonight.

I was broken from my thought's by Alice kicking my foot and pointing toward the stage. I held my breath as they went through all of the bands up for the award:

Breaking Dawn - So Cold

Fire & Ice - Get Up

Black Coven - You're the One

Crimson Eyes - Fully Alive

"_and the Grammy winner for this year's Best Rock Band is……."_

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Prologue - EPOV

I can't believe she made me late for one of the biggest nights in music. I should have said no, but what else could I do when I found her naked lying in my bed. It's not like I needed to be here for all of the pre-show hype. This isn't the first time we've won a Grammy so I don't think it will be earth shattering that I missed half of the show. I'm sure the guys are already there waiting in the audience while they go through all of the boring stuff. It pisses me off that they wait until the very end of the show to announce the year's Best Rock Band anyways. Like I want to sit through all of the live performances just so I can mentally rip apart the music and lyrics of all of the performers. We are the best band out there right now and I have no doubt that tonight will only confirm that. Aro will have to give us more say on the next tour when we pull this off tonight. I mean, there's really no competition this year anyways. Fire & Ice and Black Coven are okay but they sound like all of the other rock bands out there with their cookie cutter music and lyrics. The other band, Crimson Eyes, would be great if they didn't have that bitch, Bella Swan, fronting them. Just thinking her name makes me cringe. If she wasn't so cold they may have stood a chance tonight.

I remember the one and only time I spoke to her about a year ago. I was walking out of Aro's office and ran into her in the hallway. I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen aside from the jolt of electricity that flowed through my body when our bodies came into direct contact with each other. That was until she opened her mouth.

_Flashback_

"_What the Fuck!" She tried to yell but only came out as a breathless squeak._

"_Sorry, I didn't see you there. May be I could make it up to you." I asked her in a hopeful way._

"_No, I don't think so." She practically glared._

"_Why not? I thought all you groupies couldn't wait to get into my pants" I replied as I went to grab her ass cheek._

"_I'm sure that's what you think, but not in your wildest fantasies" she said as she leaned toward me and slapped me across the face before storming off._

_It wasn't until I walked in the same direction and ran into a whole group of people outside of Aro's office that I found out who she was. Aro immediately grabbed me by the arm and introduced me to everyone standing there._

"_Edward, I'd like you to meet the next big act signed by Vamp Records. This is Emmett Swan, Alec Rogers, Quil Matthews, and Bella Swan otherwise known as Crimson Eyes." They all looked at me like they were in shock except for Bella, she looked at me with hatred in her eyes._

"_Hey guys!" I purposely ignored the fact that a woman was standing there._

"_This is Edward Cullen, lead singer for Breaking Dawn." Aro announced with pride in his voice._

"_Dude, it's good to meet you." The big guy Aro introduced as Emmett said. "We really like your music, especially Bella here."_

_I turned and smirked at her only to be met with a look of absolute disgust. I couldn't help but give her my signature crooked grin. I could get anything I wanted from a woman when I used it and I really wanted Bella to give me something more than glares._

_When she looked away from me, I turned and talked with the other guys for a few minutes before they headed into Aro's office. _

"_Edward" Aro spoke to me before walking off, "Let Rosalie know that I'll be calling her later today to set up some studio time for your new album"_

"_I'll let her know as soon as I leave here" I answered without looking at him._

_Bella was the last one to head towards the office so I took yet another opportunity to talk to her. I walked up and whispered in her ear, "Maybe we could start over and you come over to my place later. We could get naked and play Guitar Hero all night long."_

"_What the fuck is wrong with you? Do I look like I'm even remotely interested in hanging out with you let alone have sex with you.?" She snapped._

"_Well, yes!" I smirked at her yet again._

"_Fuck off Cullen! You would have to be the last man on earth before I'd even consider it. Then again, I don't even think then" She smirked back at me as she walked away._

_I stood there dumbfounded for a few minutes and stalked off to call my manager, Rosalie Hale. I can't believe I got turned down by a woman. That shit NEVER happens, let alone by a groupie or back-up singer or whatever she does for those guys. I decided to shrug it off and forget all about Bella Swan. She was obviously not worth a second thought especially with her bitchy attitude. _

It was easy to forget about her until I started seeing pictures of Crimson Eyes all over Vamp Record's building with her standing front and center. I can't believe those guys would put a groupie in their publicity photos with them. Their CD was just released that week so I decided to check it. I went down to the Vamp Records store located on the first floor of the building and immediately found a large display set-up with all things Crimson Eyes. I couldn't believe Aro was putting this kind of publicity in an unknown band. He hasn't tried to hype up a new band since Breaking Dawn debuted our first album a few years ago. As soon as I got out to my car, I put the CD in and pressed play. The music started and I couldn't believe how awesome it sounded. I was contemplating on who would start singing, that Alec guy or Quil guy when I heard the most sultry female voice bellowing out the lyrics. I pulled the car over and pulled open the CD case to look at the band members names and there it was.

Lead Vocals, Guitar, and Keyboards - Bella Swan

Lead Guitar, Vocals - Alec Rogers

Bass Guitar - Quil Matthews

Drums and Percussion - Emmett Swan

No wonder Aro was putting a lot of money into promoting them. They were really good, so good that I would definitely put them in the same category as Breaking Dawn. That was until I heard an interview with Crimson Eyes and the question came up about how Vamp Records had two of the largest bands in the country working for them and how they were able to compete with Breaking Dawn's record sales. Bella opened her mouth up and said she had met me and knew what type of music lovers we were trying to go for. When they asked her to expand on that comment, she stated "Let's just say that I don't think females will be following me around waiting for me to proposition them." and the giggled. I couldn't believe she said that, let alone in a public interview. I was pissed to say the least and Aro wasn't helping matters. He said she could have said a lot worse considering the reputation I had for banging blonde bimbos. He didn't even reprimand her for those comments but instead used it to sell more of Crimson Eyes records. At that point, I decided that Breaking Dawn wouldn't let Crimson Eyes outdo us in any way and Bella Swan could go to hell.

I made my way to the Staples Center and pulled up to the Valet's station. As soon as I got out of the car and handed my keys to the attendant, I ran through the building. Once I entered the double doors and realized they were in the middle of a commercial break, I looked for my seat. Sure enough, the whole band was there with one empty seat located on the end of the aisle. I walked down the aisle way and said in a sarcastic tone, "Is this seat taken?"

"Asshole, you're late", Jasper smirked at me.

"I know, all I'm going to say is T-A-N-Y-A" I looked at him apologetically.

"Do you think it's a good idea to keep her around? She's got crazy stalker tendencies and frankly that makes me a little nervous" he gave me a look of mock horror.

"She knows I'm not interested in any kind of relationship with her. I've told her that this is the prime of my career" I said sternly.

"Well if she's okay with that, then more power to you" he said as the lights went down to signify the end of the commercial break.

The next hour seemed to drag on for what seemed like an eternity. I looked over at the guys on my right and couldn't believe how nerved up they looked, well except for Jasper. Jacob's leg was bobbing up and down like he was waiting to get reprimanded in the principles office for mooning the cheerleading squad, which he has done before I might add. Sam is sitting there looking like it's the first time he's ever been a part of a large crowd even though we've played concerts to larger crowds than this. We've all been friends since high school when we decided to put a band together. I play the guitar, sing lead vocals, and play the keyboard. Jasper Hale is the lead guitarist and my best friend. Jacob Black plays the drums and Sam Uley is the bassist. I couldn't imagine not having these guys around on a daily basis. We've been through everything together since we were all fifteen years old. We were all there when Jacob's mom was killed in a car accident, when Sam found out that he was adopted because his birth mother was a single sixteen year old, when Jasper wrecked his dad's car and broke his leg, and when I got busted for underage drinking and drug possession freshmen year of college. These guys are a big part of my life and there isn't anything I wouldn't do for any of them. Jacob and Sam didn't go to college with Jasper and I at the Seattle Pacific University but we all spent every weekend together jamming together or playing weekend gigs. After four years, I graduated with a degree in Music with a minor in Writing. Jasper now held a degree in psychology which we never forget because he's always trying to bestow his wisdom and advice on us all. Right after graduation, we were signed with Vamp Records and as they say, the rest is history.

The really ironic thing is, Crimson Eyes is also from the Seattle area even though I had never heard of them before that wonderful "first meeting". Jacob had seen them play at one of our old hangouts during a weekend trip home to see his father. He kept going on and on about their hot lead singer and how she was a rock goddess. Jasper, Sam, and I got so tired of hearing about her that we told him to put a fucking sock in it and not to mention her again or we were going to cut his balls off. That worked like a charm and we didn't hear about her again until the four of us ran into them between recording sessions about eight months ago. It seemed that they were recording their debut album at the same time we were recording our second. Jacob took one look at Bella and that was all she wrote. Rock Goddess now had a name and if I couldn't stand to hear about her before that, then I definitely couldn't stand to hear about her now, Bella Swan. Jasper could sense how the very mention of her name would make me cringe inside, but after the famous "Bella bashes Edward" interview, I was much more vocal about my dislike of her and made it very clear to those around me. Needless to say, nobody talked about Crimson Eyes in my presence and we all worked to make sure we stayed on top of Vamp Records list.

Jasper nudged my arm as they were announcing this year's nominee's. They started playing clips from all four of the bands in the category.

Breaking Dawn - So Cold

Fire & Ice - Get Up

Black Coven - You're the One

Crimson Eyes - Fully Alive

"_and the Grammy winner for this year's Best Rock Band is……."_

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_This is my first fanfic ever so please review and comment._

_If you're wondering about the songs from Breaking Dawn and Crimson Eyes the following bands were referenced:_

_So Cold - Breaking Benjamin_

_Fully Alive - Flyleaf_

_Breaking Dawn's music throughout the story will be from bands like Breaking Benjamin, Bullet for my Valentine, Three Days Grace, and Mudvayne._

_Crimson Eye's music throughout the story will be from bands like Flyleaf, Lacuna Coil, Evanescence, and In This Moment._


	2. Chapter 1 Fully Alive

_I do not own any of the characters below, they all belong to the great SM._

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Chapter 1 - Fully Alive

BPOV

"_and the Grammy winner for this year's Best Rock Band is……."_

"Crimson Eyes - Fully Alive"

Oh my God! Did they just say Crimson Eyes. I couldn't move as the tears started pouring down my cheeks. I started feeling someone pushing on me to get up. I looked over and Alice was jumping up and down while trying to shove me. I looked toward the front and saw a small group of people standing up and I was frozen where I sat. Finally, I heard Emmett's voice bellowing above the noise of the crowd. I looked around as I stood up and made my way out to the aisle while the whole audience was now standing and cheering. I grabbed Alice's hand and pulled her along with me while Emmett bounded by making his way toward the stage. I could see Alec and Quil over my shoulder and they were both beaming. As I made my way toward the front, I saw the same group that had started the standing ovation. It was none other than Edward Cullen and the guys from Breaking Dawn. Was this some kind of joke? I know how much Edward Cullen hates us and the feeling is returned ten-fold. I pushed that thought out of my head as I finally made my way to the stairs that led to the beginning of a new chapter of our lives.

I managed to make my way up the stairs with Alice right by my side. Once we all reached the podium, reality was sinking in. We just won a Grammy! I've been so out of it for the last three hours thinking about the last year and how we ended up here that I completely forgot my acceptance speech if we actually won. I still can't believe it! I hoped that there was a chance that we could win but with Breaking Dawn up for the same award, I really didn't think we stood a chance. We were all hugging each other when the presenter handed me the golden award. Emmett gave me another bear hug, lifting me up from the ground and setting me down in front of the microphone. I was out of breath and wondered if I'd even be able to speak coherently.

I moved forward and looked out at the audience who were finally starting to quiet down and waiting for me to say something.

"I'd just like to start by thanking our families without whom none of this would have been possible. I'd also like to thank Vamp Records for taking a chance on us and making our dreams come true. Lastly, on a personal note, I want to thank these guys right here for their friendship, amazing talents, and strong work ethics to get us here today. Emmett, Alec, Quil, and Alice. We did it."

The audience erupted into applause again as we were led to the backstage area still hugging and jumping up and down.

"Bella, I can't believe it" Alice shouted in my ear. "You've got to be so psyched. Thanks for letting me go up on the stage with you and share this experience."

I turned and looked at her in disbelief, "Alice, I've told you before. You are a huge part of this band. I don't know what we'd do without you. You had every right to be up on the stage with the rest of us".

She looked at me and smiled before bounding over to the presenters. As soon as she left, Emmett, Alec, and Quil all came over to me for a group hug.

"I love you guys so much and I'm so proud of our band" Emmett said with a cracked voice.

"Me too, Bella you're the one that led us here with your lyrics and voice. If it weren't for you we wouldn't be standing here" Alec looked at me with his bright blue eyes. I was starting to tear up again and couldn't make any words come out.

"Yeah, what they just said" Quil looked at us all with a grin.

With that, we all started cracking up. Leave it to Quil to make the situation lighter so we could enjoy the moment. We stood around for a few more minutes talking and reveling in the moment when Aro and Cauis walked up to us.

Aro started off, "Congratulations! You deserved that award tonight. I've never seen a band work so hard to make it in this industry."

"I knew the first time I heard you guys that we had something special here" Cauis beamed at us.

"Thank you so much for giving us a chance. I don't think I've ever been so happy in my whole life as I am tonight" I smiled right back at both of them.

"Well, we're taking you guys out to celebrate tonight. Before we leave though, I want to set up a time for you to come into the office tomorrow. We need to discuss some future plans and tonight is not the right time" Aro spoke.

"Sure, let me grab Alice so she can make the arrangements to have us there on time. What time do you need us there?" I asked.

Aro looked at his watch and winked, "Let's make it 2:00 so you guys have time to recover from tonight."

"Sounds good, we'll be there" I nodded at him.

"Alright, now if you would excuse me, I need to go speak to a few people. Cauis will bring you guys to the after party for the celebration" Aro shook our hands as he walked away.

"Alright, let's get this party started, follow me" Cauis said as he headed for the nearest exit.

Alice joined us just as Cauis turned toward the door, "What did I miss?"

"Not much" I said as nonchalantly as possible, "We just need to go into Vamp at 2:00 tomorrow so make sure you pencil it in."

"Anything else?" she narrowed her eyes at me. She always knew when I was keeping something from her.

"Well, if you call going to a major after party tonight thrown by Vamp Records, then yeah, I guess there's more" I looked at her trying to hold back the smile threatening to break through.

She looked at me with a straight face and started jumping up and down, "Oh my god!"

"Let's go" I grabbed her hand and started pulling her mid jump.

We followed Cauis through the door and down a long hallway that led to where the limo was parked. Once through the doors, flashes started going off and people were shouting their congratulations to us. We all stopped and signed a few autographs before Cauis and a couple of Security guards ushered us into the car.

"That was amazing" Emmett boomed once we were all seated.

"Just wait, this is just the beginning. You guys have already experienced some of this since your album came out but you haven't seen anything yet" said Cauis as he motioned for the driver to go.

We all sat back and started chatting happily about tonight's events and what it means for us. I think the natural high we were all feeling would last for awhile so we decided to just enjoy tonight and talk about the future tomorrow.

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EPOV

"_and the Grammy winner for this year's Best Rock Band is……."_

"Crimson Eyes - Fully Alive"

I was sitting in my seat and before the words had completely left the presenters mouth I was standing. I stood frozen for a brief moment before Jasper sensed my distress and stood up along with me. A few seconds later, Jacob, Sam, and Rosalie all stood up with me and were clapping for our music rivals. The rest of the audience stood up with us and gave Crimson Eyes a standing ovation. I couldn't believe I just did that. Thank God Jasper had enough sense to save me from the most embarrassing moment of my life. I'm sure he knows I didn't mean to stand up and will never let me live it down. Fortunately for me, Jacob and Sam probably didn't even notice my screw up. Rosalie was staring at me with a livid look but continued to clap her hands in front of her. She and I didn't usually see eye to eye, but as Jasper's twin sister and our Band Manager she did her job and made sure everything ran as smoothly as possible for us. I'd never want to stand in her way when it comes to making business deals. She could be as ruthless as the rest of them so we trusted her with most of the major decisions that needed to be made.

I was still standing there clapping and wondering what the hell was taking so long for them to make their way to the stage. I was about to turn around when Emmett came bounding by almost jogging. Not far behind, the rest of them were walking by including the bane of my existence, Bella Swan. I could see the tears were still fresh on her cheeks and I rolled my eyes. If she can't handle something as grand as receiving a Grammy, then what the hell is she doing in this business. To say I was pissed was an understatement. We were supposed to walk away with our second Grammy tonight. I can only imagine what the tabloids will be printing tomorrow. It seems like they just love the "Edward vs. Bella" saga that's been going on over the last several months. It really started heating up once both of our bands were nominated in the same category this year. Aro hasn't done a damn thing to kill the drama surrounding both of our bands as I suspect he's just using the publicity to sell more albums.

I felt Jasper nudging me so I looked over at him as he was mouthing "Who's that". I looked up at the stage following his gaze and saw a small woman with pixie like features standing next to Bella with their arms locked. She was incredibly short with spiky black hair that matched her tiny facial features. It was then that I noticed how beautiful Bella looked. Her long mahogany hair was pulled up on top of her head with lots of ringlet curls cascading down her back. Her midnight blue dress was form fitting showing off all of her natural curves making me forget who I was looking at. I managed to look at her face and saw the natural glow emitting from her translucent skin. If I didn't hate her so much, I would definitely make a move on her but that will never happen, not in this lifetime. I've witnessed enough of her evil side and won't put myself in that position ever again.

I shrugged and sat down waiting for them to begin their speech. It seemed like it took forever for the audience to quiet down. I sat there fuming over the fact that we had just lost to Crimson Eyes when I looked over at Rosalie. She had pulled her Blackberry from her bag and was reading a text message. She looked in mine and Jasper's direction and mouthed "Aro". Great, he probably wants to give us his pep talk about how we're all a family at Vamp Records and we need to be supportive of each other. I was broken from my thoughts by the she-devil's voice.

"I'd just like to start by thanking our families without whom none of this would have been possible. I'd also like to thank Vamp Records for taking a chance on us and making our dreams come true. Lastly, on a personal note, I want to thank these guys right here for their friendship, amazing talents, and strong work ethics to get us here today. Emmett, Alec, Quil, and Alice. We did it."

I rolled my eyes once again and started fumbling for my phone. I wanted to get the hell out of here as soon as possible and forget this night ever occurred. Just then, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out only to be greeted with a text from Aro.

**I need to speak with you guys as soon as this is over. **

**Stay put until I find you.**

**-Aro**

"Fuck", I muttered under my breath. Jasper sneered at me as I put my phone back in my pocket. I didn't want to stay and listen to Aro's droning for an hour. No doubt, he'll call me brooding while the rest of the guys make faces behind his back. Immature assholes are always making me look like the jackass during meetings with the head of Vamp Records.

I decided to get comfortable and sat back farther in my seat waiting for the inevitable conversation we were about to have. I ran my hand through my messy bronze colored hair and then pinched the bridge of my nose after closing my eyes. These are habits that I've had since I was young whenever I start to feel overly stressed. Jacob and Sam like to mock me, but the tabloids love my "sex hair" especially after I've had a stressful day and it's messier than usual.

I sat there for about twenty minutes when Sam came over and broke me from my thoughts.

"Aro is making his way over here" he said with a hint of agitation in his voice.

Out of all of us, I think Sam will take losing the Grammy harder than the rest of us. He's got this air about him that screams pride and when something like this happens, it pushes him to the edge of his humanity. It'll take a couple of days, but he'll be alright. We've all learned to just give him space and he'll come back when he's good and ready.

I looked up just as Aro was entering my field of vision and stood up so we could get this over with. I really wanted to get home and hang out with my friend, Jose Cuervo.

"Gentlemen and Lady" Aro motioned toward Rosalie "I want you to know how proud we are to have had two bands up for the Best Rock Band of the Year Grammy Award. Even though you guys didn't win this year, it still doesn't take away the honor of being nominated in the first place. That said, we are having an after party for both Breaking Dawn and Crimson Eyes tonight to celebrate."

"I'm not really in the mood to go out tonight" I said with a touch of sarcasm in my voice.

Aro looked at me with his piercing eyes, "It's not a request Edward."

I turned and looked at Jasper, Jacob, and Sam. They all seemed to be okay with the idea especially Jacob who was nodding his head enthusiastically. No doubt, he wants to get a chance to talk to the bitch.

"Fine, let's go!" I turned back to Aro with a hint of venom in my voice.

I started walking away when I heard Aro tell Rosalie, "Oh, I also want all of you guys at the office tomorrow at 2:00 for a brief meeting."

With that, we all headed toward the exit for what can only be described as a night in hell.

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_Please read and review. The next chapter will take place at the After Party._


	3. Chapter 2 After Party

_I do not own any of the characters below, they all belong to the great SM._

_Thanks for all of the positive feedback I've received so far. This is just the beginning and hopefully you all like the upcoming twists and turns I have in store for this story. Again, please let me know how I'm doing._

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Chapter 2 - After Party

EPOV

I pulled up to the night club that Vamp Records had rented out for the night and immediately saw the large crowd standing outside the entrance waiting to get a glimpse of the celebrities that would be entering throughout the night. It was then that I had an epiphany.

Bella doesn't handle attention very well when she's not on stage performing, which she made very clear tonight. Maybe I could win the "Edward vs. Bella" saga by making myself the good guy with the paparazzi and all of those ridiculous tabloid reporters. I don't typically stop and pose for pictures or make myself available for comment but if it gives me a chance to show the world what kind of person Bella Swan is, then I'll just have to make the sacrifice.

With that, I got out of my Volvo and made my way toward the entrance. The crowd was shouting my name as soon as I got out of my car and only got louder as I moved closer to the doors. Jasper and Jacob were already standing off to the side of the red ropes signing autographs as I approached. I walked up to a reporter I recognized from one of the tabloids that's been running stories about Breaking Dawn and Crimson Eyes non-stop for the last couple of months.

"Edward Cullen, can you answer a couple of questions for us?" He asked as bright flashes were going off like crazy.

"Sure, what do you want to know?"

"Tell us how you felt when they announced Crimson Eyes tonight as the Best Rock Band of the Year"

"I was very happy for those guys, their music rocks. It's too bad I haven't had the pleasure of seeing them perform live yet."

"Sources say that the rivalry between you and Bella Swan has been completely fabricated to sell more records. Is there any truth to that?"

I stopped for a minute to make sure I answered the question as honestly as possible without making myself look like the asshole in the situation, "Let's just say that Bella and I didn't start off on the right foot when we first met."

"Can you expand on that further?" He asked with genuine curiosity plastered across his face.

"She slapped me across the face." I cringed purposely.

He was now trying to hold back the laughter, "Why did she do that?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't think she quite understands my sense of humor." I smirked. "Well, I've got to get inside."

"Can I get one more picture first?" He pleaded with a grin.

I hesitated but decided that I might as well move forward with my new plan, "Sure, then I really need to get going." With that, the flash went off and I made my way back to the doors.

I walked through the doors and couldn't believe the transformation that had taken place to honor our bands. I had just been in here a week ago and now there were flat screen monitors all over showing video clips of us and them. There were also life size replica posters of all of us, meaning all of the members of Breaking Dawn and Crimson Eyes scattered throughout the open space. The most astonishing thing was the complete stage that was set up across the room from where I stood. I wondered if they were going to have some local band get up and pay homage to us. At least that's what happened when we won our first Grammy.

I glanced around once more before I saw Jasper and Jacob talking with Aro. I stalked off toward them since I was still pretty irritated with Aro for making me come here tonight. As I got closer, I realized Bella and Emmett were standing on the other side of Aro looking like they were just handed the key to the city. Bella looked up at me and gave me a look that said '_go away_'. I noticed she had changed out of her blue dress and was now wearing a red and black corset. I let my eyes wander down her body and saw she was wearing a black skirt that looked like it had been shredded into a thousand pieces. I winked at her when she noticed me looking at her intently and then turned my attention towards Aro. He looked up at me and said, "Edward, I've got some great news for you."

"Are you going to let me leave now?" I sneered.

"No, Breaking Dawn and Crimson Eye's are going to perform one song each tonight." He waved a hand toward the stage.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I felt like I'd been kicked in the gut. "Since when do the top bands at Vamp Records perform at their own celebration party?" I asked mockingly.

Aro turned and gave me a look that showed he meant business, "Since I make the decisions around here and gave you the chance to earn that title., I do. Now get your guys together, you're on in fifteen."

"Fuck" I looked at Jasper and Jacob. "Where's Sam?"

"He's at the bar, I'll go get him and meet you two up there." Jasper pointed across the room.

Jacob and I made our way to the stage and climbed up. I saw that someone had brought all of our instruments from the studio and had everything set up for us. I bet Rose knew about this and didn't want to tell us for fear that she'd have to listen to me bitch about it.

"What song do we want to play?" Jasper asked as he and Sam jumped on the stage to join us.

I looked around the room and answered, "This crowd is pretty fucking boring if you ask me. Let's get 'em going." I looked at all of the guys and said three words, "HIT THE FLOOR."

They all started knocking fists with each other as I started to go over the song in my head. Jacob went over to his drums and sat down while Sam grabbed his bass and adjusted his amp. Japer and I each grabbed our guitars and started strumming to make sure it was ready. Aro really outdid himself, it seems the sound checks were already taken care of prior to our arrival. I wondered how long he had been planning this and why he felt the need to keep it from us before tonight. I was pissed that we were being treated like a bunch of no-name puppets. We will definitely be discussing this during the meeting tomorrow.

We were standing at our stage positions when the lights all went out eliciting a big gasp from the crowd. The main spotlight came on and shone front and center as Aro came out from behind us and glided across the stage with a microphone in hand, "Hello out there. We've got a little treat for all of you tonight. Vamp Records is proud to announce that our top two bands will be performing one song each tonight. This is just a taste of what is yet to come"

I looked at him questionably. _'What does that mean, a taste of what is yet to come'_

"So without further ado, Breaking Dawn"

I scanned the crowd and locked eyes with Bella before giving her my crooked grin. We're going to show everyone why we're still the best at what we do even though we didn't win tonight. The crowd erupted as I started the opening riff and we started jamming:

_I see you walking home alone  
__Your face is alive and bright.  
But you can't see how weak you are  
'cause I could end it tonight. _

_It's the feeling you get when you think  
that someone behind is watching you.  
Well I can tell you now that someone is me  
And I'm about to make it right._

Why do you take it all?  
Why do I beg for more?  
I never thought that this is how I'd hit the floor!  
Why do you take it all?  
Why do I beg for more?  
I never thought that this is how I'd hit the floor!

_I creep up from behind, touch your neck  
move down to your spine.  
You take a look and breathe so sharp  
It's just a matter of time._

_Don't scream, I ask of you  
but then you let one out so now it's time to go.  
I come down on you like a ton of bricks  
it's all over so now it's time to go. _

_Why do you take it all?  
__Why do I beg for more?  
I never thought that this is how I'd hit the floor  
Why do you take it all?  
Why do I beg for more?  
I never thought that this is how I'd hit the floor (Hit the floor!)_

ohhh-oh-oh-ohh-oh-oh-oh  
ohhh-oh-oh-ohh-oh-oh-oh  
ohhh-oh-oh-ohh-oh-oh-oh  
ohhh-oh-oh-ohh-oh-oh-oh

Why do you take it all?  
Why do I beg for more?  
I never thought that this is how I'd hit the floor  
Why do you take it all?  
Why do I beg for more?  
_I never thought that this is how I'd (hit the floor!)_

Take this from me, I don't wanna hurt you  
Take this from me, (I don't wanna hurt you) 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

BPOV

We entered the nightclub following Cauis after we stopped and signed a ton of autographs and posed for numerous photos. It all still seemed surreal as we walked through the open club space. Alice and I were still walking arm-in-arm as we made our way over to an area where a bunch of people from Vamp Records were sitting. I recognized some of the faces from our recording time at the studio. They all stood up and started congratulating us. Emmett and Quil were smiling like idiots at everyone while Alec started engaging in conversation with Eric, the sound guy that helped mix our album. I was taking the moment in when Alice leaned over and whispered, "Let's go to the ladies room."

I turned as she started dragging me away. Once we got to the ladies room, I noticed Alice had a large bag strapped to her shoulder. As soon as we got to the lounge area fully equipped with full length mirrors, she started pulling clothes from the bag. I looked at her questionably when she started screeching.

"Bella, you need to put these on. And before you say a word, please, please, please trust me." She pleaded.

"Fine, but are you going to tell me why I'm taking this dress off that you forced on me earlier today?"

"No, now get changed. I chose this outfit specifically for tonight."

I grabbed the clothes and headed for a changing room. Once inside I looked at what she had given me and smiled to myself. The outfit looked like something I would wear while performing and way more comfortable than the dress I'd been wearing all evening. I got dressed quickly and stepped out for Alice to lace up the back of the corset.

"Alice, I love it. But you have to tell me why I'm changing" I asked her.

She rolled her eyes at me, "I'm trying to preserve your image as the Rock Goddess that you are. Now sit down so I can fix your make-up and hair."

I sat down and she pulled all of the pins out of my hair and wiped the make-up from my face. I sat there contemplating on Alice's words, _'Rock Goddess' _while she fixed my hair and applied more make-up. I really liked the sound of that. I had been imagining playing on stage to large crowds since I was in high school. I even spent quite a bit of the money I had earned at my various part-time jobs buying tickets to rock concerts. I haven't been to a concert in quite a while though, it's been at least a year. I was trying to remember which concert I had seen last when Alice interrupted my thoughts.

"All done. Now let's get back out there and enjoy the party." she grabbed all of her "supplies" and put them back in her bag.

"Let's go." I followed behind her and returned to the area where we had left the guys. I was greeted by Aro as soon as I got there, "Bella, you look awesome!"

I chuckled, "Thanks, Alice thought I needed to keep up with my image."

"Well, that girl's got a good head on her shoulders or she has un uncanny ability to predict the future" He grinned back. "I have a surprise for you guys tonight."

Emmett heard the word surprise, "Great, let's have it."

I shot him a dirty look and turned back to Aro waiting for him to speak. Alec and Quil were also listening intently waiting for the big "surprise" Aro was about to give us.

"Tonight's been a big night for Vamp Records and we want to start building on it. I'd like for you guys to perform a song tonight for all of these people. I want them to see the talent that we've been keeping to ourselves." He winked at me.

Alice and Emmett started jumping up and down like little kids while I started grinning ear to ear. Most groups would prefer to stay in the studio, but not us. Performing live was where we shined the brightest and we can finally get to show everyone that we deserved that Grammy tonight.

I broke out of my happy stupor, "When do you want us to go on?"

He hesitated slightly, "Breaking Dawn will be performing one song as well, so we're going to have them go first. We've already brought all of your instruments in and done the sound check. Be ready five minutes after they're done."

I cringed at the thought of _Him_ being here tonight. I suppose it's inevitable that we'll have to see those guys but it doesn't change the fact that I can't stand _Him_. It's hard to believe that I used to really look up to Edward Cullen. Breaking Dawn was one of my favorite bands after they got their big break. All of a sudden it hit me, that's the last concert that I had gone too. I remember being pushed around while I made my way near the front of the stage so I could get as close as possible. I guess you could say that I had a crush on _Him_. At the time, I thought he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen with his bronze-colored hair and emerald green eyes. And the voice, it could make me wet as soon as the first words came out of his mouth. Aside from his physical traits, he is a really gifted musician who I dreamed of writing and recording a song with someday. I shook my head at those school girl dreams. Once I met him and found out what kind of pig he is, all those positive traits went out the door.

I felt a pair of large hands grab me by the shoulders and turn me around slowly. Emmett was looking at me with an amused expression, "Alright we need to decide which song we need to play."

Alec and Quil were throwing song titles out, as was Alice. I looked at all of them and spoke carefully, "I think we should wait to hear what Breaking Dawn plays before we make a decision." I just knew that _He_ would try to make us look undeserving tonight if given the chance. We needed to stay one step ahead of them. This is our night dammit!

"Bella, you do realize that only gives us five minutes to prepare." came Alec's voice of reason.

"Guys, we know all of our songs frontward and backward. It'll be fine. Trust."

Alice, Quil, and Alec walked away so they could get a good view of the stage while Emmett and I stayed to talk to each other.

"Little sister, I just want to say how proud I am of you." Emmett smiled brightly at me.

"I'm proud of you too. I still can't believe all of this is happening." I replied.

"Well, it is! Let's go out and give them hell now." We stood there for a few minutes talking about everything that's happened tonight when I saw Jasper and Jacob walking toward us. They both smiled at us before they started talking with Aro. I was still talking with Emmett when it felt like someone was staring at me. I looked over and saw _Him_ standing there. I glared at him as his eyes raked over my body before his eyes met mine again and he winked at me. Of all the fucking nerve. I wish I could gouge his eyes out so I don't feel like a piece of meat every time he's around. I'm sure the brainless women that he's been known to associate with don't mind, but I do. _He_ was still standing there in what looked like a very heated discussion with Aro when Emmett and I went to find the others. My thoughts kept wandering back to the irritated look on Aro's face and wondered if _He_ was giving him a hard time about performing tonight. It wouldn't surprise me in the least since he's the most arrogant asshole I've ever met.

About ten minutes later, the light went out and a huge spotlight came on. Breaking Dawn was on the stage ready to play when Aro came out from behind them and glided across the stage with a microphone in hand, "Hello out there. We've got a little treat for all of you tonight. Vamp Records is proud to announce that our top two bands will be performing one song each tonight. This is just a taste of what is yet to come"

I looked at him questionably. _'What does that mean, a taste of what is yet to come'_

"So without further ado, Breaking Dawn"

He looked as though he were scanning the crowd and the next thing I know his eyes were locked with mine before giving me a crooked grin. In the next moment, the crowd erupted as he started the opening riff……………………………….......................

They were definitely rocking tonight. I don't remember seeing that much energy at a live show. It seemed like they were really trying to prove themselves tonight. I couldn't figure out why though, they were still one of the top Rock Bands in the country. I couldn't help but start moving to the music while Alice was banging her head next to me.

They finished the song and got a huge applause from the crowd. After they exited the stage, we made our way up. I was walking by _Him _looking at my breasts the whole time when I felt a hand grab my ass hard after I shoved by. That motherfucker! I turned around but was too late as I watched him make his way to where we had just been standing, all the while his body was shaking with laughter. A couple of roadies were pushing Emmett's drum set in front of Jacobs as we all grabbed our instruments and met in the middle.

"I want to play I'm so Sick" I said quickly, "I want to prove a point to a certain someone."

"Are you sure?" Alec asked, "It's not a damn competition Bella."

I looked at all of them with pleading eyes, "Please, it'll keep the crowd going too. We've got a tough act to follow."

They all nodded their heads as we all bumped fists in the center as is customary before we perform. We took our places, ready to start. I gave Alice a glance as she gave me a thumbs up, also customary.

Alec started the guitar riff while I locked eyes with _Him_ just like he did when they were up here, only I smirked like I was trying to send a message. I looked away quickly and started singing:

_I will break into your thoughts  
With what's written on my heart  
I will break, break_

I'm so sick, infected with  
Where I live  
Let me live without this  
Empty bliss, selfishness

I'm so sick  
I'm so sick

If you want more of this  
We can push out, sell out, die out  
So you'll shut up and stay sleeping  
With my screaming in your itching ears

I'm so sick, infected with  
Where I live  
Let me live without this  
Empty bliss, selfishness

I'm so sick  
I'm so sick

Hear it, I'm screaming it  
You're heeding to it now  
Hear it, I'm screaming it  
You tremble at this sound

You sink into my clothes  
This invasion makes me feel  
Worthless, hopeless, sick

I'm so sick, infected with  
Where I live  
Let me live without this  
Empty bliss, selfishness

I'm so,  
I'm so sick

I'm so sick, infected with  
Where I live  
Let me live without this  
Empty bliss, selfishness

I'm so  
(I'm so)  
I'm so sick  
(I'm so sick)  
I'm so  
(I'm so)  
I'm so sick  
(I'm so sick)

We finished the song and the crowd was screaming. We were making our way to get down from the stage when I realized I had left my "lucky" guitar pick with my guitar. I went back and got it and when I turned around I saw the crowd was blocking the stairs on the side. I walked behind the curtain hoping to find an alternate route when someone grabbed me by the wrist, and pressing my whole body to them from behind me.

A velvety voice started talking in my ear and I knew it was _Him_ immediately, "Little Bella can actually sing. Now I know that song wasn't meant for me. I know you want me, I've known it since the first day I saw you."

I ripped my arm from his grip and turned around quickly slamming him into the wall as hard as I could.

"Now listen to me you arrogant asshole, I don't want you. I think you're a selfish prick who treats women like fucking whores." I shouted in his face, "If you think that you're going to talk to me like this every time I'm forced to be around you, then you've got another thing coming. Keep it up, and little Eddie will get cut off and shoved down your throat. And if you ever grab me again, that isn't a threat, it's a promise."

I pulled my hands back from his chest that were holding him against the wall and stormed off before he could say another word. Granted, I did feel that same electric jolt when he grabbed my wrist, but that wasn't going to keep me from putting him in his place hopefully, for the last time.

I found a way to the main floor and quickly found Alice. She handed me some kind of red drink in a tall glass, "Are you alright? Your face is red."

"I'm fine, I'm just hot!" I glanced sideways at her.

"Hot and frigid." I heard the all too familiar velvet voice from behind me. That was the last straw, I turned around and threw my full drink in his face. He stood there in what can only be explained as a state of complete shock while the red liquid was running down his face from his hair.

Everyone stopped talking and were staring at me with their jaws wide open when I turned to Alice, "I'm ready to go home now."

She was trying to suppress her laughter when she sat her drink down and we started making our way toward the exit. I spared one look back before heading out the door and saw _Him_ wiping his face off while Jasper and Emmett were laughing so hard they were holding their stomachs. _He_ didn't look happy as he gave me a death glare before I turned back around and left.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Songs from this chapter:_

_Hit the Floor - Bullet for my Valentine_

_I'm So Sick - Flyleaf_


	4. Chapter 3 Guilty Thoughts

_I do not own any of the characters below, they all belong to the great SM._

_I hope you liked the last chapter. This one will be a little shorter and I know things are a little slow right now but we're almost done establishing the characters relationships. _

_Please Review if you like this story so far!_

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Chapter 3 - The Next Day

EPOV

I stood there in a complete state of shock. She actually threw her drink in my face. I was frozen for what seemed like an eternity when I heard laughter resonating from all around me. Someone slapped me in the chest and when I looked down, Sam had shoved a towel at me to wipe off my face. I looked over and Jasper and Emmett were laughing so hard they were both holding their stomachs. I searched the room for the source of my embarrassment and saw her heading toward the door. _Fucking bitch, I_ thought as I glared in her direction. I hope that no one else saw the spectacle she had turned me into. I'm sure I looked ridiculous standing there wiping the red liquid from my face and hair. My fears were confirmed when a small crowd started gathering around me whispering loudly while giggling and snickering.

Aro finally walked over and asked me what happened. I told him what the bitch did and he just gave me a curious expression.

"Are you just going to let her get away with this?" I seethed.

"What do you want me to do about it? Besides, I'm sure she didn't do it without provocation." He snorted.

I was fuming even more at this point. Granted, I probably should have kept my mouth shut. I just can't keep my brain filter from not working when she's around. If she wasn't so cold toward me, I would definitely be attracted to her. Even I had to admit that she's beyond beautiful. When she threw me up against the wall, I thought I would cum right then and there. The way she held her hands against my chest made me think of all the nasty things I could be doing to her. I was so turned on that I barely heard the threat she was delivering.

"What the fuck! Don't blame me because your new superstar is a mega bitch." I started getting louder and louder. "Just keep her the fuck away from me from now on."

Aro looked like he was torn for a minute, "Edward, I think you should go home and get cleaned up. I'll see you tomorrow. Don't be late."

With that, he walked away leaving me with the rest of the guys. I turned to Jasper, "I'm going home now."

Emmett was still snickering, "Dude, that has got to the funniest fucking thing I've ever seen."

"Yeah, pretty fucking funny." I walked away not wanting to hear anything else.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

BPOV

I was startled from my dreamless sleep by someone jumping on my bed. I opened my eyes to a very excited Alice. How someone can have so much energy in the morning is beyond me.

"Uugh…..Alice, why can't I just have one day to sleep in?" I grumbled trying to roll over.

"Bella, wake up! It's noon and we have to be down at the office in two hours." She practically sang.

"Holy Shit! I can't believe I slept so long." That's when it all hit me. The events from the night before came rushing back to me. Everything from sitting in the audience at the Grammy's, to actually winning, to performing at the after party, and finally to throwing a drink in Edward Cullen's face. And not just any drink, but a blood red drink.

"You were just tired from all of the excitement last night." She smirked at me. I knew what was coming next, "And can you tell me why you threw a drink in Edward's face?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I snapped as I stood up to get dressed.

"Bella, every time you two get around each other, everything get's crazy. I mean, I don't get it. You used to have such a huge crush on him."

"Well, let's just say he's not the man I thought he was." I cringed thinking back to his words from the night before.

She wasn't buying my brief explanation, "What changed your mind? You used to get all gooey-eyed talking about his wild "sex" hair and how beautiful he is? Oh and let's not forget talented and gifted"

"Yeah, he's a beautiful tragedy." I still can't believe I felt this way about the man I idolized from the first time I ever heard his voice. I used to think he was the greatest musician I had ever heard. Thinking about him that way was starting to make me feel guilty about all of the times I interacted with him over the last year. I don't know why he feels the need to provoke me so much. It's almost like a game to him. I mean, I did insult him during a couple of interviews, but he started it when he treated me like some slut who would jump into bed with him the first moment he spoke to me.

Alice broke me from my thoughts, "I still don't understand. Did he say something to piss you off?"

She just wouldn't let it go so I told her about all of the sexual innuendos he's made on every occasion that I've been around him. She was giving me a knowing grin when I asked her, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I think he has a crush on you and just doesn't know how to express himself to a beautiful Rock Goddess like you. It's foreplay."

"Foreplay!" I screeched. "I don't fucking think so. Besides, I made my point last night. I'm sure he hates me just as much as I hate him now."

I'm not sure why the thought of Edward hating me gave me a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach all of a sudden, but I didn't like it at all. Then it hit me, I needed to apologize to him. I've been acting like an immature child. And to top it all off, I've been dishing out physical violence on him the whole time I've known him. Well, I wouldn't exactly say that I know him because I've never even had a conversation with him.

"I think maybe you should give him a chance to be the guy you've looked up to for the last three years. He might not be as bad as you think." Alice got up and walked out so I could get ready.

That's when I decided that I would apologize the next time Aro forced our two bands together. I'm sure he still wants to ride the publicity wave generated from last night for a little while. I know he's been pushing us to work on some new songs so we can get back in the recording studio soon. We already have enough music written for two more albums, it's just a matter of finishing the lyrics.

I was finally finished getting ready when Alice and I left the two bedroom apartment we had been sharing since we came to L.A. Emmett, Alec, and Quil shared a three bedroom a few blocks away. I loved those guys, but after living with them for four years, I needed a little break so Vamp set us up while were here. At some point, I'm sure we'll return to Seattle when we're not recording. I kind of wish that we would be going out on tour. I miss performing live for more than just a studio audience. I think I'll ask Aro about it today.


	5. Chapter 4 The Meeting

_I do not own any of the characters below, they all belong to the great SM._

_Please Review if you like this story so far!_

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Chapter 4 - The Meeting

EPOV

I woke up the next morning still trying to remember the events from the night before. My head was pounding like someone was running a jackhammer against my temples. I got up and walked out to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. On the table, I noticed an empty bottle of tequila. Ah, I guess I did hang out with my good friend, Jose, last night. As I reached for the bottle of ibuprofen, I started to recall the humiliation I had endured last night. I remember leaving the nightclub wearing a long sleeved sweatshirt with the hood pulled up over my hair and a pair of dark black sunglasses keeping my head down the whole time. Jacob had gone to get my car and had it at the back entrance of the building so I wouldn't be subjected to the paparazzi. I was hopeful that no one would recognize me as I left the building.

When I went to the restroom before leaving, I couldn't get the red streaks off of my face. The harder I scrubbed, the worse they got. The more I tried, the more pissed I got. My face was now stained because she couldn't handle a little playful banter. Well, at least I was trying to be a little playful. Part of me still couldn't stand the way she insulted me during public interviews along with the slapping and shoving that she seems to inflict upon me whenever we're alone. The other part of me was kind of hoping that she'd play along and we could make my thoughts a reality. I don't know why I keep doing this to myself. One minute I fucking hate her and the next I feel drawn to her in ways that I don't understand. I need one of these emotions to win the battle so I don't get physically assaulted again.

It was then, that I decided I wouldn't speak to her, talk about her, or touch her. I can completely forget that she exists and go on about my life the way I did before she came along. It's not like I'll have to see her except for the rare occasion where we have to attend an event at the same time. Even if we are both recording at the studio at the same time, I can completely avoid her by choosing a different route through the building.

Speaking of which, I looked up at the clock and noticed that it was 1:15 in the afternoon. "Oh Shit!" I jumped up from the stool I was leaning on to keep myself propped up. I had to be at Vamp for a meeting with Aro in forty-five minutes. I hoped these painkillers kicked in soon because I'm not sure I could handle a lot of people talking today. I was really hoping that today would be the day we were going to discus the release of our new album. We've been recording for the last couple of months and had about half of the songs complete. We just need to finish the lyrics for a few more and we'd be done. There's nothing like hearing your music played back to you and feeling a sense of accomplishment.

I climbed in the shower hoping the hot water would help calm the raging headache I had. I stepped out feeling a little bit better when I toweled the steamy mirror off and realized my face was still streaked with red stains. _'How in the hell am I supposed to walk around like this.' _I thought to myself as I headed to my bedroom to get dressed.

I got dressed quickly and grabbed my keys to head out. Before leaving, I glanced at the clock and saw that I only had 15 minutes to make it all the way downtown. I hope traffic isn't bad or Aro is going to kill me. At least he can try. I'm kind of getting tired of him parading the Bitch and her band around. He needs to start treating Breaking Dawn with more respect. We were the first band they had signed that had gone platinum within the first few months of the album released. He needs to remember that we helped launch their label so a little gratitude wouldn't kill him.

I stepped out into the sun and was thankful I was holding my dark sunglasses. Otherwise I didn't think I would make it to the meeting at all. My head was still pounding but wasn't nearly as bad as it had been when I first woke up. I jumped in my Volvo and made my way downtown.

I parked my car when I got there and saw that I was only ten minutes late. Not too bad, considering this drive usually takes thirty minutes with light traffic. I looked to my right and saw several other cars parked in the area reserved for the Labels' artists. I saw Sam's black Audi parked along with a red Mustang and a yellow Porsche so I knew the guys were already here, hopefully stalling Aro so I can sneak in without too much of a lashing.

I made my way toward the receptionist's desk to announce my presence when I heard multiple cries of laughter coming from Aro's office. She gave me an amused expression and motioned for me to enter.

I walked in and was met with a sight that I didn't expect to ever see. All of the members from my band and Crimson Eye's were sitting around laughing hysterically. Even Aro and Rosalie were participating which made me very uneasy. Rose wasn't much for joking around and laughing so to see her do it made me wonder exactly what they all thought was so damned funny. I cleared my throat and all laughter immediately ceased. They all looked at me, well except for the Bitch and from their facial expression's, I had a pretty good idea as to what they were laughing at. I glared at all of them and made my way over to an empty seat beside Jasper.

I sat down with a _'humph'_when Aro cleared his throat and spoke, "It's so nice of you to join us today Edward. I hope we weren't keeping you from anything important."

I heard someone giggle and shot a glare in the direction of the Bitch and the pixie before turning back to Aro, "Not at all. Let's get this over with."

"Can you at least remove your sunglasses so I can get started?." He demanded.

I rolled my eyes and proceeded to take my sunglasses off and pull the hood from my head. I felt the couch I was sitting on shaking and turned to Jasper who was lighting silently. I elbowed him as hard as I could in the arm and he stopped immediately. I looked around and everyone else was doing the same thing. All trying to hold back the laughter that my red-stained face seemed to induce.

"Fuck You All." I hissed at them. If I hadn't made my decision to ignore her this morning, I would do whatever it took to pay her back for this. I don't know if she was holding back laughter because I hadn't looked at her but I could see tears streaming down Emmett's and Jacob's faces.

"Alright, let's get started." Aro stood near his desk. " As you know, Vamp Records is very proud to call Breaking Dawn and Crimson Eye's our top two bands. We feel that having two Grammy award winning bands under our label is beyond any of our wildest dreams when we first started out several years ago. That said, we want to remain on top for as long as possible. We need to create a united front between the two bands and show the world what kind of powerhouse we have here."

We all sat there and listened to him go on about how great both bands were for a few minutes when his words started to sink in. I started to get a sinking feeling that he was about to tell us we would need to spend more time with each other. I could probably handle a couple of photo shoots and maybe even some celebrity events but that was about all I would deal with. I thought I had made myself clear last night when I told him to keep _Her_ away from me.

I was interrupted from my thoughts when Aro's voice started to get louder and was dripping with enthusiasm. When I looked up, I saw that Jane Volturi, Vamp Records Publicist, had entered the room and was now standing next to him while he looked like he was about to start jumping up and down. I wondered if Jane was going to be helping us with promoting our new album. They usually left that kind of shit to her assistants but maybe she was taking this on for herself. Hopefully, she's already spoken with Rose since I was barely listening to Aro drone on.

I was so caught up with all of the possibilities of our album release that Aro's last words barely registered. _'Did he just say what I thought he said?'_

My head shot up as I caught the next sentence, "You all leave in twelve weeks. That gives us enough time to finish recording both albums and finish making all of the tour arrangements."

I stood up, "NO. FUCKING. WAY."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

BPOV

We arrived at Vamp records with plenty of time to spare. Alec was driving Emmett and Quil here in his new car and weren't too far behind us. Alec was so excited to finally get his Mustang that he spent the last week driving everyone around whenever any one of us needed to go somewhere. I was happy for him. That's been his dream car for as long as I've known him.

Alice parked her Porsche in the designated parking area for Vamp Record's recording artists. I still don't understand why her parents felt the need to buy her such a flashy vehicle for graduation. I didn't think she was the greatest driver before and now she's even worse. She's always driven like a maniac but it's even worse now with a car that can accelerate beyond the speed limit within a couple of seconds. We arrived at Vamp Recodrs in no time thanks to Alice. I was just glad to make it there alive. We wandered into the building and walked over to the receptionist's desk. Maggie was sitting there looking over some paperwork when she looked up and saw us standing there.

"Good Morning Ladies." She spoke with a genuine smile plastered across her face.

I couldn't help but return the smile. Maggie was always welcoming any time we had to come in for a meeting or to work in the studio. "Good Morning Maggie." Both Alice and I said at the same time as we giggled for sounding like school girls.

"You're a little early so go ahead and make yourselves comfortable in Aro's office. He had to step out for a minute but should be back any minute." She gestured toward Aro's office.

"Okay, thanks." I said as we went through the door.

I walked over to the wall where Aro had several platinum records hanging. Sure enough, he had one for Breaking Dawn and one for Crimson Eyes. As I gazed upon them, I couldn't shake the feeling of nervousness I had about the meeting today. I was really excited when he first told us we needed to be here today, but after the spectacle I caused last night, I'm sure a scolding is most likely coming.

Aro was always extremely nice to us and not only did I feel guilty about my actions toward Edward, but I was feeling guilty about possibly embarrassing Vamp Records. They had been so good to us and in a strange way, Aro has taken on the father figure role in our lives while away from home. The last thing I ever wanted to do was disappoint him.

Alice and I sat down on one of the couches after a couple of minutes. She was still giving me shit about how Edward and I had been acting toward each other. I finally had enough and narrowed my eyes at her, "Let it go Alice."

"Fine! I'll let it go if you answer one question for me." She asked.

I contemplated for a minute, "Alright! What do you want to know?"

"If you could fuck any one of the guys from Breaking Dawn, which one would it be?" She looked at me with a serious expression.

I started laughing hysterically and soon she was smiling at my outburst. I was gasping for air trying to regain my composure so I could answer her. "I would have to say ….."

Before I could finish answering her question, Emmett, Alec, and Quil sauntered in the room with Aro following right behind.

"What's so funny?" came Emmett's booming voice as Alice and I winked at each other.

"Nothing." I turned toward Aro waiting for him to get this meeting started.

"We're waiting for a few more arrivals before we start." He stated simply as if he were reading my thoughts.

We were all sitting around talking comfortably when I heard several sets of footsteps enter from the direction of the doorway. When I looked up, Jasper, Jacob, and Sam were standing there with surprised looks on their faces. I guess they weren't expecting us to all be here at the same time, not that I did either.

"Come in, come in." Aro called out to them. "Take a seat. I'm glad you guys made it. Is Rose here with you guys?

"Yeah." Sam spoke up. "She was talking on her cell in the hallway and told us to go on without her. She should be right in."

I was waiting for Aro to ask about _Him, _I mean Edward, but decided I really didn't want to see him today. I heard clicking from behind me that just came through the door and assumed Rosalie had come in. I hadn't spoken to her at all during the times we had been in close proximity to each other because she was rather intimidating. She was absolutely gorgeous with long blonde hair and a body to die for. I knew I wasn't the only one that was intimidated by her as I would catch my brother ogling her like she was the only person in the room on more than one occasion. I know he's never even said a word to her but as I suspect, she occupies quite a few of his thoughts. The only reason I know is because Emmett and I both have a very embarrassing habit. We both talk in our sleep and he has screamed her name out quite often. It's hard to keep any secrets when you blurt them out while you're sleeping.

Everyone was sitting in an uncomfortable silence, when Jacob started talking. "So how are you guys handling all of the excitement from last night."

I looked at him, startled that he would even mention last night. He was grinning ear to ear at me and I couldn't help but smile back at him. His genuine sincerity seemed to be contagious as I felt the tension dissipate from the room. Everyone started engaging in conversation related to our performances and how we all thought each other's band sounded great.

Rosalie was the first one to mention my moment of insanity, "The highlight of my night was when that one…" She pointed at me, "threw a drink in Edwards face."

I was absolutely mortified for a split second that she would bring it up in front of everyone, but as soon as the words left her mouth, everyone joined in and started laughing hysterically. The next thing I know, Edward was the butt of all of the jokes coming from around the room. I looked around and was starting to feel the slightest bit of hope that he was just as amused by it as all of his friends seemed to be.

Everyone was still laughing when I heard someone clear their throat. I knew as soon as I heard it that it was him. I couldn't bring myself to look at him as I felt his presence coming from behind me. The laughter had all died down as soon as he entered the room and I hoped he didn't know everyone had been making fun of him.

He walked over to Jasper and sat down with a _'humph'_. Aro immediately cleared his throat and spoke, "It's so nice of you to join us today Edward. I hope we weren't keeping you from anything important."

Alice was trying to stifle a giggle so I elbowed her in the ribs trying to make her stop. "Not at all. Let's get this over with." I heard his velvet voice from across the room.

"Can you at least remove your sunglasses so I can get started?." Aro was still speaking directly to him as everyone else was still trying to hold back laughter. I could see tears streaming down Emmett and Jacob's faces.

"Fuck You All." Edward hissed at everyone. I didn't dare look at him now. The hope that I had been harboring was just thrown out the window. It was clear that he definitely was not amused.

"Alright, let's get started." Aro stood near his desk. " As you know, Vamp Records is very proud to call Breaking Dawn and Crimson Eye's our top two bands. We feel that having two Grammy award winning bands under our label is beyond any of our wildest dreams we had when first started out several years ago. That said, we want to remain on top for as long as possible. We need to create a united front between the two bands and show the world what kind of powerhouse we have here."

"Breaking Dawn is getting ready to release their third album in a few months. I'd like Crimson Eye's to begin recording a follow-up album that can be released around the same time."

My eyes widened at those words. A new album in three months is a lot to take on in such a short time frame. I glanced over at Alec and knew what he was thinking immediately. He gave me that look of confidence that meant we could do it without any problems. He was right, of course. We already had most of the songs written for our sophomore effort. It was just a matter of cleaning them up and finishing the lyrics. I looked over at Quil and Emmett who were also looking at me with the same expression that Alec had just sent my way.

As soon as the words left Aro's mouth, my mind kicked into overdrive thinking about songs that needed to be included and songs that needed finished and everything else that needed to be done when making an album. I was barely paying attention when I felt Alice nudge me. She know's how lost in thought I get when I start thinking about my music.

I focused on Aro again, "You all leave in twelve weeks. That gives us enough time to finish recording both albums and finish making all of the tour arrangements."

'_Tour, what tour', _I thought to myself.

That's when I felt the hairs prickling on the back of my neck and the velvet voice shout with venom in his words, "NO. FUCKING. WAY."


	6. Chapter 5 Reaction

_I do not own any of the characters below, they all belong to the great SM._

_Thanks to all of you that have put this story on alert._

_Reviews are greatly appreciated!_

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Chapter 5 - Reaction

"_You all leave in twelve weeks. That gives us enough time to finish recording both albums and finish making all of the tour arrangements."_

_I stood up, "NO. FUCKING. WAY."_

EPOV

As soon as I stood, I knew that I had fucked up. I looked at Aro and knew he was pissed. I watched as his face turned purple with silent rage emitting from his eyes. He didn't say anything and continued to remain silent for what seemed like an eternity. I turned toward Jasper and saw that he was frozen by the evil glare coming from Aro.

Jacob and Sam were silent for a few more minutes before Jacob decided to break through the apparent discomfort coming from all around me. "Edward, let's listen to what he has to say before we say no."

Aro didn't let me reply, "This isn't open for negotiation. When you signed with Vamp Records, it was stated clearly you would be required to promote albums by any means necessary such as public appearances, live performances, multi-city tours, etc…"

He sounded like he was reading the terms of our contract from paper but he was actually was reciting it verbatim. I knew he wasn't going to budge on this and was instantly embarrassed by flipping out in front of everyone.

"Don't worry Eddie, we'll have a blast on the road." Emmett said trying to turn the conversation into a light-hearted one.

"Don't call me Eddie. And how are we going to have a blast when I can't stand to be in the same room with her." I pointed in the Bitch's direction since I still hadn't looked at her.

"Well I can't stand to be in the same room with you either." She shouted from across the room.

"That's enough!" Aro stalked to the door. "I'd like everyone to please step out for a minute."

Everyone stood up and started leaving when Aro said, "Edward. Bella. Not you two."

Uh-oh. All of a sudden I felt like I was about to be suspended from school for starting a fight in the cafeteria. I started pacing around the room while Aro asked Maggie to get everyone else refreshments. That didn't sound good. He was going to have us in here for a while.

I finally glanced toward _Her_, and saw the terrified look in her eyes_. 'Good'_, I thought. She should be terrified after that stunt she pulled last night. Of which, I'm still paying the price for.

Aro motioned for us to both sit down in the chairs in front of his desk while he sat down behind it. The color in his face had returned to normal and he was no longer looking like he was about to kill me.

He started, "Alright, you two. Can one of you please explain to me why you can't get along with each other?"

I sat there waiting for an answer from her since I wasn't about to incriminate myself. Silence filled the room while Aro kept looking between the two of us.

"Fine, if neither of you are going to answer me, then I'll tell you how it's going to be from now on." He stated matter-of-factly. "I don't care if you like each other or not. As long as you're both recording music under the Vamp label, you will show each other respect, at least when out in public."

He continued, "I don't want to read one more negative quote from either of you about the other. When in public, you'll smile at each other and pretend to be the best of friends. Bella, that means, no throwing drinks and Edward, keep your sexual comments and hands to yourself."

We both must have looked like a deer caught in headlights because he looked amused by our expressions, "What? You guys didn't really think that I haven't been paying attention to your interactions with each other, did you?"

I put my head down and rested my chin on my chest. I didn't know what to say. My first thought was she had told him everything but when I gave her a sideways glance, I noticed she had the same surprised look on her face that I did. She caught me looking at her and gave me a dirty look which snapped me back to my earlier decision. _'Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.'_

She started speaking quietly, "No problem Aro. I can do that. And I'm sorry if I've done anything to embarrass Vamp Records. I'll try to control my temper from now on."

I sat there for a minute going over her words in my head. Control her temper. Yeah, she could say that again. I'm sure she'll have no problem doing just that since I won't be paying her any attention anyway.

I looked up and saw Aro was waiting for me to say something, "Fine!" He continued to look at me but I wasn't about to say anything else. After a few minutes he got up and walked out of the room leaving the two of us alone. I put my head back and closed my eyes so I could avoid having to deal with her.

"Edward." I heard from beside me and opened my eyes. I turned my head to the right where she was looking at me intently. I shot her a look but maintained the blank mask I had on my face.

She took that as affirmation that she could speak, "I just want to apologize for my behavior last night."

I managed to keep my mask up and just continued to look at her waiting for her to continue. She sat there staring back at me with an expectant look on her face. If she thinks I'm going to apologize, she's out of her mind. I don't apologize to anyone, ever. Even if I know that I was partially to blame. I just can't do it. Jasper always blames 'only child syndrome' for my short-comings and maybe he's right.

She continued to look at me apologetically, "Is there anything you'd like to say to me?"

I looked her straight in the eyes, "No, I don't think so. You're the one that acts like a fucking bitch every time I see you."

She narrowed her eyes at me before she started shouting, "I'm the fucking bitch. Ha, you can't keep your fucking hands off me or your foul mouth from spewing bullshit."

"If you can't take a little playful banter, then that's your problem, not mine." I said standing up.

She jumped up out of her seat and the next thing I know we were in each others faces shouting, "Playful banter! You've got a lot nerve calling it that. I'd say sexual harassment is the correct terminology."

"Any woman would be down on there knees begging for my attention, but not you. You act all self-righteous like you've never flirted with anyone before." I shouted back in her face.

"Look, I'm not going to sit here and fucking argue with you anymore. Just stay the fuck away from me and I'll stay the fuck away from you." She retorted.

"That won't be a problem. The last…." I stopped mid-sentence as the door opened.

Aro walked back in with all of the others following behind. Everyone sat back down while Bella and I just went back to ignoring each other. I didn't notice that Aro's brother, Marcus, had walked in as well.

Aro started talking about more details about the tour like what cities and venues we'd be playing in. "Marcus will be the Tour Manager for the duration."

Everyone was started talking pretty excitedly, well except for me and the Bitch. Marcus handed packets out to everyone containing the basic outline of the tour so we could all be on the same page prior to departure. I was pretty stoked that Marcus would be joining us on the tour. He was a really cool guy and probably the biggest Breaking Dawn fan that I'd ever met.

"Now, a few details that are included in the packet I just gave you are one, we will kick-off here in L.A. Two, we are calling this a co-headliner tour, but Crimson Eyes will go on stage before Breaking Dawn. Three, we'll wrap up in Seattle. I didn't put a set list together so I'm leaving that completely up to you guys. Once the new albums are finished, I want to use the first night as a release celebration for both bands. I think that about covers everything. If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me."

Marcus finished and Aro looked at Rose, "Rosalie, you'll be working directly with Marcus on scheduling, interviews, set design, and anything else you can think of. I think that covers everything for now."

Everyone got up to leave and I noticed Aro had walked over to that Alice chick and was saying something to her. I glanced at Jasper who was watching her intently. I got up and walked out to the hallway where Emmett and Sam were speaking with Marcus so I decided to join in the conversation. I looked over and saw Jacob making a bee line for the Bitch.

We were all out in the hallway just chatting when I noticed Aro had closed his door after Marcus had gone back in. Jasper and Emmett were laughing and joking about all of the fun we were going to have out on the road. Even Jacob had _Her_ laughing. _'Damn Traitors' _I thought. Rose was on her cell standing farther away from everyone else, no surprise there. She's always on her fucking phone. I'm ready to go home but can't until she gives us the itinerary for the next couple of days.

A few moments later, Aro's door opened and the Alice chick came bounding out with a very excited look on her face. She was walking toward Her when she stopped suddenly and changed direction, headed right for me. She walked over and grabbed me by the arm, "Come with me."

I didn't say anything but followed hesitantly. Maybe it would be better to play the nice guy. It would certainly make things easier down the road. I'm not sure what function she had when it came to Crimson Eyes but she's been with them on every occasion that I've run into them. We were near the recording studio's when she opened a door a led me through. _'I hope she's not going to throw herself at me. I don't think I could handle any more drama today'._

As we entered the room, I noticed it looked like a beauty salon with mirrors surrounding a single chair.

"I thought I could help with your little situation." She said while motioning toward my face with a tiny smirk playing on her face.

"Uh, thanks." I said quietly.

"Don't thank me. Bella asked me to do this. If it were up to me, I would've let you suffer a little longer." She laughed as she started applying some type of cream to my face.

'_What the fuck'_. Why would she ask this pixie-like girl to help me? I sat there like a statue trying to figure all of this out. She must feel pretty damn guilty. Or at least she did until the argument we just had in Aro's office.

She started using some type of sponge as she swirled the cream all over probably sensing my disbelief, "She asked me to do this on the way over here. She's not really as bad as you think she is. She just has a hard time letting people in and well, after your grabby hands and sex talk, you pretty much lost your chance right there."

I could hear the slight hesitation in her voice, as if she wasn't supposed to be telling me these things. I didn't say anything else as she finished up.

"There you go, good as new." She said as she started to walk away. I looked in the mirror and saw all of the evidence of the drink throwing incident was gone. I was shocked that it all came off as I turned to thank the pixie as she was leaving. Before she made it to the door she turned around, "You know, Bella is a great girl who used to have a lot of respect for you. I think it would do you both a world of good if you could try to earn that back." With that, she left me in the room alone.

I sat there pondering Alice's words for a while, _'Used to have a lot of respect for you' _before I got up to find the rest of the guys. _'I guess I'll just have to think about it later.'_

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BPOV

I walked out of Aro's office more pissed than when I went in. I can't believe he didn't apologize to me after I did. I was just about to slap him across the face again when everyone came walking back in. That wouldn't have been a good thing since I just told Aro that I could pretend to get along with him for the sake of Vamp's reputation.

I wanted to leave and clear my head of Edward Cullen but Alice had just walked back into Aro's office with Marcus. _'I wonder why she went back in there. ' _I hope she wasn't trying to smooth things over for me. I may turn into a raving lunatic when _He's_ around but I don't need her to defend my actions.

I was lost in thought when I felt someone's presence beside me. I looked up and saw the drummer from Breaking Dawn smiling at me with a very white set of teeth. He was so tall that I almost had to strain my neck to look at him.

He held out his hand, "I don't believe that we've been formally introduced yet. I'm Jacob Black."

I returned the gesture and shook his hand, "Bella Swan."

"It's nice to meet you Bella. I figured since we're going to see each other a lot, then we should at least get to know one another."

He was still smiling and though his words may have held more meaning in them, he sounded sincere. I couldn't help smiling back at him. He seemed to have one of those personalities that just emitted happiness to all those around him.

"That would be great. I haven't really had the chance to talk to anyone other than Edward. And we all know how that turned out." I said as I gave him a small frown.

"Don't worry about it. We've all been friends long enough that nothing seems that surprising when it comes to Edward." He laughed and I wondered if they all knew the jackass that he really was.

I don't know why but I was starting to feel very comfortable around Jacob. He was so easy to talk to and didn't try to act like he anything more than a regular guy. I could definitely see myself being friends with him. He started asking me all kinds of questions about our band and if we were excited to go on the tour. We were talking like we'd known each other our whole lives when I saw Aro's office door open. Alice came bounding out with a huge smile on her face and was walking toward me. She stopped abruptly and turned toward Edward. I saw her grab him by the arm and start leading him away.

I was surprised that he was following her without a big fuss but maybe I just didn't know him like I thought I did. I hoped she knew what she was doing. I had asked her if she had anything that would remove the red stains if he couldn't get them off himself. She said she did so I asked her to help him with it. That was before he pretty much insulted me and the rest of the guys from my band by his ridiculous outburst earlier.

I was still talking to Jacob when the other guys from Breaking Dawn walked over to where we were sitting. Jacob quickly introduced me to Jasper and Sam. You would've thought that I would've met these guys before since we're all signed under the same label, but that's not the case. All of a sudden, I felt guilty for letting Edward's bad behavior cloud my judgment of the rest of the guys.

Jasper had a calming sense about him and I immediately felt very comfortable around him as well. It wasn't quite as easy being around Sam as he seemed a little stand-offish. He was polite enough but I got the sense that he may be swallowing his pride a little by talking to me. We were all chatting about all of the things that needed to get done before we left in twelve weeks and time seemed to fly right by. At this point Emmett, Alec, and Quil had also joined in the conversation. It almost seemed surreal at that point. It's like we had all been friends forever. I hoped this was a good sign for the future since we would all be spending a lot of time together.

Alice finally came back and gave me a triumphant smile. That must've meant that she was able to help Edward. I was hoping that she didn't tell him that I had asked her to do it. I didn't want him to know that I felt that guilty over it. I made the first attempt at being civil and that pretty much back fired on me so I wasn't going to do it again. No matter how much I used to respect him before I even knew him.

Alice grabbed my arm and motioned toward the exit. "Well guys, we've got to go. It was great meeting all of you," I winked at Jacob, "officially."

We all said our goodbyes as everyone else decided it was time to go too. Before I made it to the door, I felt someone's large hand on my shoulder. I was praying that it wasn't _Him_ as I slowly turned around. Jacob was standing there giving me another wide smile. "Hey Bella. I was wondering if we could grab some lunch together some time."

"That sounds really great Jacob." I smiled back. "I'm sure we'll see each other later this week so we can make plans then."

"Cool. See you later then." He was still smiling as he started walking backwards in the opposite direction.

Alice and I made it to the car before she started bombarding me with questions. "So you have a date with the hot drummer."

"It's not a date. I just think it's good to make friends with them since we'll be seeing them everyday for awhile." I snapped at her.

She raised her eyebrows and must've known it would be better if she dropped it. I already had enough trouble with Edward, I didn't need any more from the rest of his guys from his band.

We were driving along in relative silence which was very unusual for Alice when I suddenly remembered that she had gone back into Aro's office after the meeting was over. I turned and asked, "What did Aro want to talk to you about?"

I could tell this was a good change of subject because she was all of a sudden bouncing in her seat and smiling so big that I thought her face was going to explode.

"He offered me a job." She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. I could tell by how excited she was that it must've been good. Alice is always with us helping with our schedules, wardrobe, my hair, and my make-up but she doesn't do it for money. We've tried to pay her but she insists that we're family and refuses to take anything from us.

"What job?" I asked with curiosity dripping from my voice.

"I'm going to be the Assistant Tour Manager. Working directly for Marcus." She said trying to hold back her excitement.

"Oh my God Alice. That's awesome." By this time we were both bouncing in our seats in excitement. She told me how they needed someone else to help with the day to day activities since Marcus will be handling the major events and since she's already proven herself by helping Crimson Eyes out, they knew she was the right one for the job.

We continued talking the rest of the way home about how great everything had turned out. I tried to ask her about Edward, but she changed the subject quickly. I'm pretty sure that she was hiding something, but I didn't push for more.

We parked the car and made our way to our apartment. She wanted to go shopping later in the day but said she would let me take a little nap first. As we came up to the apartment door I noticed a single red rose was hanging from the brass ring. As we got closer, there was I also saw a small note attached. I wondered who it could be from as I reached out to remove it. I pulled the note from the rose and opened it. It read:

_Bella - _

_You were made perfectly to be loved - and surely I have loved you, in the idea of you, my whole life long. _

ハンター

I recognized the quote but I still wasn't sure who it came from. The signature was in Japanese ( at least that's what I thought it was). I thought it was strange that whoever had sent me this, didn't sign their name so I could at least thank them. It has to be someone that I know well. Not too many people know where Alice and I live. I'm sure that it was from someone down at Vamp sending their congratulations. I thought it was a strange way to congratulate someone so I shrugged my shoulders while Alice unlocked the door and we went in. Appently someone knows my background in comparative literature and was trying to impress me. And even I'll admit, I was a little impressed.

"So Bella, who's the secret admirer?" Alice asked as she snatched the note out of my hand. She looked at it and furrowed her brows. "How odd? Do you know what this means?"

"I'm not sure what the Japanese means, but I do know where that quote came from." I answered her as nonchalantly as possible.

"Oh well, it's sweet just the same." She glided toward her bedroom. "I'll wake you in a couple of hours."

I found a vase and put the flower in some water as I grabbed the note and walked to my room thinking about it. It was definitely romantic, I just wished that I knew who had given it to me. Oh well, I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. I collapsed on the bed and drifted off to sleep.

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_The quote:_

_You were made perfectly to be loved - and surely I have loved you, in the idea of you, my whole life long. -- Elizabeth Barrett Browning_

_I'll post the Japanese translation of the secret admirer a little later in the story so bear with me._

_Thanks for reading and again, please review._


	7. Chapter 6 Secret Admirer

_I do not own any of the characters below, they all belong to the great SM._

_This chapter is a little short and only told in BPOV. I'm working on building up the J & B relationship (which won't go beyond friendship - I'm Team Edward all the way even though he doesn't play a role in this chapter). The Japanese signature - _ハンター _means Hunter. _

_I can't tell you who this is yet so keep reading to find out later in the story._

_Again, reviews are greatly appreciated._

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Chapter 6 - Secret Admirer

BPOV

The next four weeks were a whirlwind. Jane had arranged for lots of interviews, photo shoots, and other events to promote the upcoming tour. It was hard to find the time to finish writing some of the songs we wanted to put on the new album. It was definitely coming along though. We got up every day and headed to the studio at 9:00 am laying down as many tracks as we could. We only had twelve weeks initially to get it done so we were all working harder than ever.

Alice was busy acclimating herself to her new job as the Assistant tour manager so we didn't get to spend as much time together. She was working very closely with Marcus going over the schedule for the upcoming nine month coast-to-coast plethora of cities we would be traveling to. If I know anything about Alice, it's this job suits her strengths perfectly. I trust her to make the best decisions for both bands and work to make sure we have as little stress as possible while on the road.

She was still working on my new wardrobe at night. I started getting up earlier in the morning so she could poke and prod me with a vast array of material and accessories. I managed to get out of going with her to pick everything out for the new clothes she was making.

"Alice, I told you. I have complete faith in you. You know what I like and what's comfortable." I told her while she was giving me the famous pout.

"But Bella, this is your big debut as a top performer. Don't you want to have a little fun?" She asked still giving me the puppy dog eyes.

I tried not to look at her or else I knew I'd give in. "I have to get the rest of these songs written. I'm already going on less sleep than what I'm used to."

She finally gave up, "By the way, how was your lunch date the other day?" She smiled one of her all-knowing smiles at me.

"It wasn't a date. It was two friends having lunch together." I said while trying to downplay the whole thing.

She narrowed her eyes at me, "Bella, why don't you let loose once in awhile. I mean….he's like totally hot and totally into you."

I rolled my eyes, "He's just a friend. I like being around him and he's a lot of fun to hang out with. I don't know why, but I just see him as the brotherly type." "

"Besides I don't think he's totally into me." I put my fingers up and made air quotes

"Fine, whatever you say." She scoffed as she walked to her room.

I thought back to the other day when Jake and I met for lunch at a little café down the street from the studio. He had asked me everyday for three weeks if I'd go to lunch with him but I kept turning him down. I've been so focused on getting this album together that any distraction could set us back. I finally agreed after Emmett and Alec said they were going to work on a couple of solos they were perfecting for the tour itself.

_Flash back:_

"_Bella, over here." I heard Jacob's voice from across the room. I looked up and he was sitting at a small table in the corner._

_I walked over and was met with a huge smile. That's one thing about Jacob, he's always smiling. I swear nothing gets him down. I set my bag down and pulled my jacket off as he stood to pull my chair out. "Um…Thanks." I said as I sat down._

_The waiter came over to our table before I even had a chance to say anything else. I ordered a Coke and told him I needed a few minutes to decide on food._

"_Sooo…how's everything going?" Jacob asked after I had a minute to collect myself._

"_Things are going really well. Right on schedule, as Alice likes to say. How are things going for you?" I mimicked the little pixie._

_He immediately started telling me about all of the time Breaking Dawn has been spending in the studio. He was bubbling with excitement as he told me about the new tracks they had been laying down. _

"_Edward's an absolute genius when it comes to music." He stated in admiration._

_I cringed at hearing his name, "I'm sure."_

"_Oh, he's really not a bad guy. Just misunderstood." He defended, "We've been friends for a long time so I guess I am a little biased. We've been through a lot together over the years so it's hard to look at him like he's not without fault."_

"_I'm sorry." I said quietly. Obviously, they were quite close and I didn't want to come off as being the bitch that I'm sure he's made me out to be._

"_It's okay. Enough about him. Let's talk about something else."_

_The waiter returned and took our order before we started chatting like a couple of old friends. I learned a lot about "Jake" as he told me about his childhood and the guys he calls his best friends. I was so enthralled with the conversation that I almost didn't notice when the food had arrived._

_We continued to talk while we ate and I was actually enjoying myself. I told him about my Dad, the police chief and how my mother had died when Emmett and I were teenagers from breast cancer. He seemed to sense my sadness at that point and started asking about the other guys in the band. I told him about Alec and Quil, and even Tyler. He laughed when I told him about the "little concerts" we used to have in the garage. _

_There wasn't any of the awkwardness that came along with a guy and a girl going out on a date. At least I didn't consider this a date. There were a couple of times during the conversation where he would give me strange look but I couldn't quite pinpoint what it meant. It was very comfortable to be around Jake, and in this business, it was nice to have someone outside the band as a friend._

_After awhile, I decided I needed to get back to the studio so Jake offered to walk with me. We were coming toward the building when I remembered that I needed to ask him something._

_I stopped and looked up at him, "Jake, do you know anything about some flowers that have been making their way to my apartment over the last several weeks?"_

_He looked confused, "No. I wish I could say they were from me but I honestly don't know what you're talking about."_

"_Oh" was all I could say. I had been coming home for the last three weeks to the same sight at my door. A single red rose with a romantic quote attached. The signature was the same on all of the notes and written in Japanese. Alice keeps teasing me about a secret admirer but I just couldn't wrap my head around it._

_I had been thinking they were from Jake, but he didn't really seem like the kind of guy to hide his feelings from anyone. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if the person will come out eventually. I shrugged my shoulders and kept walking until we were at Vamp. I turned to Jake to say goodbye but was met with a kiss on the cheek instead. It wasn't a romantic gesture by any means but it still made my heart flutter a little. I think he knew it too. I hadn't had a boyfriend since freshmen year of college, when Emmett had threatened to castrate the last one. He looked at me with a big grin, said goodbye, and walked away._

I jumped back to the present when Alice came bouncing back into the room with her arms full of various fabric swatches. She started going over all of the ideas she had for each one when there was a knock at the door.

I jumped up to answer it a little too enthusiastically as Alice rolled her eyes at me and went back to her design ideas. I looked through the peephole but didn't see anyone there so I opened the door slowly. I took a step out into the hall and still didn't see anyone. I figured it must have been some kids so I turned around to head back in. That's when I saw it. Attached to the door was a single red rose with a note attached. I grabbed it and walked back to the dining room where Alice was seated.

"Another one." She smirked.

"Yeah, we're running out of places to put them" I said as I sat down to read the note:

_Bella,_

_The dedicated life is the life worth living  
__You must give with your whole heart._

ハンター

I re-read the note a few times before handing it to Alice. She touched her hand to her heart as she read it aloud.

"It's so romantic. Whoever this is, they're really trying to sweep you off your feet." She sighed with a hint of hopefulness in her voice.

"I think it's sweet but don't you think it's kind of creepy. I mean, this has been going on for four weeks now. Shouldn't this person have told me who they are by now." I asked as I grabbed the note to place it in the growing pile on the counter.

"Maybe he's just trying to build up the courage. I mean, you are a hot Rock Goddess who is about to kick-off her first American Tour." She retorted.

I put the rose in a vase that was holding about two dozen others, "Yeah, well I know we get a lot of fan mail since the Grammy's but it usually goes to the studio."

"That's true. It's got to be someone we know. How else would they get this address?" She raised an eyebrow at me.

"Regardless, I think I'm going to take these down to the studio to show Jane." I pointed at the pile of romantic notes.

"You know your brother will find out then." She snickered. She knew exactly what he would do if he saw all of this. Freaking out would be an understatement.

"Alice, I'm a grown woman. Emmett will just have to deal with that and let me handle this on my own." I said standing up a little straighter.

"That will be the day!" She laughed.

I started laughing with her and soon we were back to working on outfit designs. We stayed like that for a couple of hours until I yawned and stood up to go to bed.

"I'll see you in the morning." I hugged her and walked to my room.

"Good night Rock Goddess" She laughed.

As soon as I hit my bed, I drifted of to sleep filled with dreams of standing on stage and singing to the masses.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_The Quote:_

_The dedicated life is the life worth living  
You must give with your whole heart. _

_-- Anne Dillard_

_Next Chapter - Music and Lyrics (oh and we'll hear from Edward)_

_Thanks Again!_


	8. Chapter 7 Music & Lyrics

_I do not own any of the characters below, they all belong to the great SM._

_Please review. I need to know if I'm holding your interest._

_Thanks!_

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Chapter 7 - Music & Lyrics

EPOV

Things were moving along pretty well with the new album. It's been four weeks and we've got a couple of tracks down. I've been writing like crazy and the results have been rewarding. I've never been able to come up with lyrics to the music so easily before but for some reason they've been coming pretty easily to me lately.

I walked into the studio with my notebook for a new song I finished up last night. Jasper and Sam were already there waiting for me when I walked in the room.

"Where's Jacob?" I asked looking around to see if I missed him when I first walked in.

"He's running a little late. It seems he's been having trouble getting out of bed lately." Sam said looking annoyed at the fact.

I'd been so wrapped up with putting songs together that I hadn't noticed Jacob had been doing anything differently, "Why's he having trouble getting out of bed?"

Jasper snickered, "Ever since his big date, he's been like this."

"Wait, big date?" I looking at him questioningly waiting for him to go on.

"With your arch enemy!" Sam announced like he was waiting for a big explosion.

"My arch enemy? And who pray-tell is that?" I looked between the two of them.

"That would be Bella." Jasper coughed while saying her name and immediately followed with a snicker.

I froze at the mention of her name. _'What the fuck!' _He's been hanging out with her and I've been so busy that I hadn't even noticed.

All of a sudden, I was pissed and I wasn't even sure why. I mean, they're both single and into music. _'Why shouldn't they hang out?' _That thought broke me out of my frozen state as I turned to Jasper.

"So are they like a couple now?" I asked him without trying to sound irritated.

I knew Jasper was sensing my anger, "No, she just met him for lunch one day last week. But man, ever since, it's like he's in la la land."

Just then, Jacob came running into the room. He looked at all of us apologetically, "Sorry guys. I overslept."

I narrowed my eyes at him as he made his way over to his drums. I'm pretty sure that he knew I was pissed. About what, even I didn't have that answer. She adamantly turned down every one of my advances but yet she's go out with the giant oaf. I shook my head trying to rid the thoughts of those two together and shuddering at the images that came up.

"Alright, let's get ready." I pulled out copies of the music and lyrics that we needed to work on and passed them out to everyone. As they were looking over the sheets that I had just given them, I grabbed my guitar and started playing the opening riff. I heard someone clear there throat so I stopped and turned around to face everyone.

"These lyrics are interesting." Jasper said with a smirk plastered on his face. "It seems all of the stuff you've been writing lately has the same lying undertone. I just can't put my finger on it."

"I don't know what you mean." I glared at him, daring him to say another word. He didn't

'_Oh Shit! I'm so busted.' _Fortunately, Sam and Jacob were lost in their own little worlds and had missed mine and Jaspers conversation. Unfortunately, he was dead on but that wasn't something I would ever admit. I could tell from the expression on his face that he knew exactly why I was writing these particular lyrics. If he only knew how long I'd been using my little muse to gather inspiration from. I think he would be shocked to find out that _She_ was the inspiration behind our latest Grammy nomination.

After our first encounter, I went home and wrote _**So Cold**_. I just couldn't get her out of my head from that day on. Maybe that's why I can't keep my mouth from spewing all of the shit I've said to her. As shitty as it is to say, it helps me to write great songs.

I was broken from my thoughts by Jacob, "You Ready?"

I nodded my head and he started the count. I lost track of time as we went through the song over and over again without the lyrics. The music sounded better than when I had imagined it with everyone's own styles coming into play. After we thought we had it down, we decided to add the lyrics. We started playing and the my voice rang out:

_The sun is gone and the flowers rot  
__Words are spaces between us  
And I should've been drowned in the rivers I've found of token lust  
And I should've been down when you made me insecure_

_So break me down if it makes you feel right  
And hate me now if it keeps you alright  
You can't break me down if it takes all your might  
'cause I'm so much more than meets the eye_

_And I'm the one you can never trust  
'cause wounds are ways to reveal us  
And yeah I could have tried and devoted my life to both of us  
But what a waste of my time when the world we have is yours_

_So break me down if it makes you feel right  
And hate me now if it keeps you alright  
You can't break me down if it takes all your might  
'cause I'm so much more than all your lies_

_Hate me, break me down  
So break me down  
So break me down  
So break me down if it makes you feel right  
And hate me now if it keeps you alright  
You can't break me down if it takes all your might  
'cause I'm so much more than meets the eye_

We finished and all looked at each other with smiles on our faces. It still amazes me that we could nail down a song so quickly. I guess that's what happens after you've been together for so long.

It was getting pretty late so we decided to call it a night. We all headed to a small bar down the street from the studio to get a couple of drinks. As soon as we walked in, people were swarming all around us. We stayed and signed a few autographs, pretty much forgetting about the purpose of coming in here tonight. After the last fan got their signature, I got up to leave. Sam and Jacob decided to stay so Jasper and I headed for home.

We stepped out into the dark and waited for the cab to pick us up. I didn't say anything for fear that the earlier conversation that Jasper and I had would start again.

We waited in silence for a few minutes before Jasper spoke, "You know it's okay if you like her."

"I don't know what you mean." I waved him off.

"Yes, you do. You know exactly what, or should I say WHO I mean." He said forcefully.

"Look, I don't fucking like her. I hate her. Anyone can see that." I glanced at him sideways hoping he would drop it. No such luck.

He gave me a serious look, "Just think about it. No one would say anything. You guys are made for each other."

I just stood there not saying anything until the cab arrived and we got in. I got dropped off first and went inside my building and made my way to my apartment. As soon as I stepped through the door, I heard soft music playing from the bedroom.

I didn't even have to guess who was here. Tanya. I wish my doorman would stop letting her in. She keeps telling him that she's my girlfriend and no matter how many times I deny it, she keeps coming back under the same pretense. _'Oh well', _at least I won't be left alone with the thoughts Jasper put in my head tonight.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

BPOV

I woke up the next morning ready to get to the studio. I had a song playing in my head and I wanted to toy around with it before the guys got there. I got up and jumped in the shower before the water had a chance to heat up all the way. Once I was finished and made it back to my room, I threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I brushed my hair and put it into a messy bun trying to save as much time as I could. I grabbed my purse and my keys and headed toward the door. Alice would be disappointed that I had left so early today but I knew she would get over it. I almost walked out before I remembered the 'love notes' on the counter. I grabbed the stack and headed to the parking garage.

I made my way to Vamp in record time. I threw my door open after I grabbed my purse and the stack of notes I had set on the passenger seat. I was in such a hurry that I practically ran through the glass doors bumping into what felt like a brick wall. I fell down hard, my purse and notes scattering across the floor.

I started to get up rubbing my ass where I could feel the makings of a bruise, "I'm so sor…"

I was interrupted by laughter. As soon as I heard it, I knew who it was. I could pick out that musical velvety voice anywhere. _'Why is he here so early?' _I thought to myself as I tried to stand up. I started to stand when I felt his hand grab my wrist pulling me up from the ground. _'Great and he's even being a gentleman'. _I tried to jerk my hand back when I felt the familiar jolt course through my body at his touch but he didn't let go until I was fully upright.

I was now standing when I looked at his face. He was no longer laughing and actually looked like he might be mad. We both stood there waiting for the other to say something. I was taking in his beautiful facial features and messy hair when he cleared his throat.

"Oh right, I'm sorry I didn't see you." I said while berating myself for my lameness.

"Well maybe next time you'll watch where you're going." He hissed.

"Excuse the fuck out of me. I said I was sorry, you don't have to be a dick about it." I raised my voice at him.

He narrowed his eyes at me, "That's some fucking apology. I told you before, stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours."

I stood there shocked that he would be such an asshole about an accident. I looked down and realized the notes I had brought in were scattered all over the floor. I noticed he was also looking at the mess on the floor as though he were studying something.

"Don't worry, I remember everything you said." I bent down to clean up my mess. "Asshole" I muttered under my breath as he walked away.

"I heard that" was the last thing that came from his mouth before he turned the corner down the hallway.

I gathered up my things and made my way to the studio. Once inside, I felt like I was home. This was my sanctuary. The place where I can put my thoughts out there for the whole world to hear. I loved the thrill of hearing my music and lyrics played for all those out there that listen to get some sort of release from life. If only for a few moments, it's one of the best feelings ever when you can lose yourself in a song. Music has the ability to make you laugh or cry, and it can excite you or make you sad. I've been truly blessed to be able to give that part of myself to so many others.

I picked up my guitar and started strumming the song I had in my head when I woke up this morning. I was messing around with a couple of different chords when my thoughts drifted back to _Him_. How can someone so beautiful be so absolutely infuriating at the same time. I can't believe I let him get to me. At least I didn't slap him this time. I instinctively reached around to rub my backside where I had fallen. Maybe I did get a good shove in when I ran into him. I shuddered at the thought and started playing my guitar again.

A couple of hours had passed when Emmett, Alec, and Quil strolled in. They were all laughing and talking about some party they were going to over the weekend.

"Hey there, little sister. Why are you here so early?" Emmett asked pointing to the clock.

I shrugged my shoulders "I just had a song in my head that I couldn't stop when I woke up."

"Awesome!" Alec exclaimed as he grabbed his guitar. "Let's hear it."

We all sat down in a circle and I started playing for them. Alec joined in after we got through the melody and Quil joined in with the bass a few minutes later. After we toyed around with the bridge for a couple of minutes, we decided to add the drums. Emmett stood up and went over to his set. We all stood up and started jamming. It was going really well and if I could get some lyrics down, I think we'd have a winner.

I put my guitar down and pulled my notebook open. I had written some lyrics a couple of weeks before that would go with this song perfectly.

"Hey Alec." I motioned for him to come over by me. I pulled the page open and showed him the lyrics I had in my mind. "What do you think?" I asked

"They look good to me. What do you think?" He smiled.

"I was thinking about changing things up a bit. You would sing these lines here" I pointed at a couple of verses. "And I'll sing these ones."

He looked at them for a few minutes, "Sounds good."

I ran out and made a copy for him and highlighted his lines so he could reference while we practiced We started out just singing without the music and soon were ready to add the music.

We started the song, guitars in unison:

_Something about you that makes me feel bad  
__I wasn't there when a thin line destroyed your soul_

_I search every corner  
There's nowhere to hide  
How I feel ignorance  
Sacrifice some days it's harder  
Let's face it, it's all about me  
(Deeply into your own)_

_Deep within me  
Life's crawling and wasting my days  
Another night gone and I know there will be another way  
(Deep within me)  
I'm leading myself to be free  
In this eternal goodbye_

_Something about you will make me stronger  
Now I'm aware when a man falls rebound, my fault_

_I search every corner  
Just nowhere to hide  
How I feel ignorance  
Sacrifice some days it's harder  
Let's face it, it's all about me  
(Deeply into your own)_

_Deep within me  
Life's crawling and wasting my days  
Another night gone and I know there will be another way  
(Deep within me)  
I'm leading myself to be free  
In this eternal goodbye, goodbye_

_Here I wanna be  
Here I wanna be  
No more lies!  
Here I wanna be_

_Here I wanna be  
Here I wanna be  
No more lies!  
Here I wanna be..._

_Deep within me  
Life's crawling and wasting my days  
Another night gone and I know there will be another way  
(Deep within me)  
I'm leading myself to be free  
In this eternal goodbye, goodbye_

_Deep within me  
Life's crawling and wasting my days  
Another night gone and I know there will be another way  
(Deep within me)  
I'm leading myself to be free  
In this eternal goodbye_

We ran through the song about ten times before we had it right. We decided that it would definitely go on the album. It was slower than most of our stuff, but it worked for us.

After working on a few more songs we decided to call it a day. I waved goodbye to the guys and headed out toward the elevator. I stepped in and pushed the button for the eighth floor. There wasn't anyone else using the elevators today which made it feel eerily quiet as it purred it's way upward.

I arrived on the eighth floor and stepped out. I turned to my left and went toward Jane's office. She was the top executive on this floor which devotes itself to the promotional side of the business. They handle all of the fan mail, publicity, promotions, and anything else not directly related to the sale of albums. I found her office and was greeted by a dark haired receptionist.

"Hi, Bella Swan to see Jane" I said as if I was a stranger to her office.

"Sure thing Bella, I'll see if she can meet with you. Why don't you take a seat while you're waiting." She said as she motioned to some chairs against the wall.

I sat down and waited for what seemed like an eternity. Finally the door opened to Jane's office and a blue-eyed, blonde-haired guy stepped out. He looked a little rough around the edges with stubble on his chin and stray hairs were coming out of the ponytail that he had the rest of it pulled in. He didn't notice me at first but as he stepped farther out, he glanced in my direction.

I had never seen this guy before in my life but once his eyes locked on mine, he was looking at me like he knew who I was. He was smiling at me and about to say something when Jane poked her head out and called for me to come in. I stood up and walked into her office feeling his eyes boring into me from behind. I turned and gave him a quick smile before Jane shut the door. I was glad to be away from him. For some reason, just being around him gave me a very uneasy feeling.

I sat down opposite from Jane and pulled out the stack of notes I had accumulated over the last month. I told her how these were showing up every day and I wasn't sure who they were from. She looked through all of them before handing them back to me.

"There isn't anything malicious in any of these." She stated matter-of-factly.

"I know, it just makes me a little nervous because they're coming to my apartment." I sighed.

"Do you think it's someone that you know? Maybe someone in the building?" She asked questionably.

I sat back in my seat, "I thought of that. It's driving me nuts not knowing."

"I'm sure it's harmless and if it is someone that you know, they'll probably stop once you leave in eight weeks." She gave me a genuine smile.

I stayed and talked to her for a little while after that. She was easy to talk with and I'd like to think we had something in common. Not too many women hold positions like ours in this industry so it was nice to have someone to relate to.

I left after about an hour and went home. I wasn't surprised when I got to the door and there was yet again, another rose with a note attached. I unlocked the door, knowing Alice wasn't home yet and opened the note after I set my keys down.

_Bella,_

_Your slightest look easily will unclose me, though I have closed myself as fingers, you open petal by petal myself a Spring opens her first rose. _

ハンター

I wonder what he means by this one. I went to my room to pull out some books. I needed to solve these riddles so I can figure out who this is. Otherwise, I'm going to go crazy.

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_The Quote:_

_Your slightest look easily will unclose me, though I have closed myself as fingers, you open petal by petal myself a Spring opens her first rose. _

_-- E.E. Cummings_

_Songs:_

_Seether - Breakdown_

_Lacuna Coil - Within Me_

_I suggest listening to both of these while reading. The links to both of these songs has been posted in my profile. _

_**A/N: What do you think of E using B as his muse? Let me know.**_


	9. Chapter 8 Release Party

_I do not own any of the characters below, they all belong to the great SM._

_This one's a little longer and now we're finally getting somewhere._

_Hope you enjoy!_

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Chapter 8 - Release Party

BPOV

We were sitting in the recording studio listening to our latest album. It had been twelve weeks since we started and I still can't believe that we actually did it. We finished everything up a week earlier and here we were listening to the final product.

Vamp was planning on releasing the first single from the album tonight at a huge party they were throwing for us. And by us, I mean Crimson Eyes and Breaking Dawn. Apparently, they too were able to finish their album. I had written all of the songs for this album and was feeling pretty proud of that fact after we actually got to hear it. _'I wish my mom were here'_ I thought to myself. She would be so thrilled right now with both of her children.

There were a lot of people in the room that were somehow associated with Vamp listening to our music. I was trying to keep an eye on Aro's face as he listened and I could swear I saw a small smile playing on his lips. I really wanted his opinion since he was the one who has stood behind us since the first day we signed on. I thought it was strange that he stayed away while we were recording. He said it was because he wanted to give us total control over our music. That doesn't happen very often in this industry with most labels. They try to steer your music in the direction that they want you to go. We were really lucky Aro found us when he did. I'm not sure I could handle having someone tell me how and what to write.

I was lost in my thoughts when Emmett nudged me in the arm. The last song was about to finish and by the look on Emmett, Alec, and Quil's faces they were feeling just as anxious as I was. The music stopped and silence filled the room for all of two seconds. Everyone was standing and applauding us. I looked at Aro once more and saw that he was beaming. From his facial expression, I could almost see pride written there.

The whole room was brimming with excitement and everyone was soon talking about the tour we were going to begin in two days. Everything was set for us to play three shows around LA before we head out on the road. We haven't seen the buses yet but Marcus has assured us we would be traveling in comfort.

I still don't think I've grasped the whole fame concept yet. Ever since the Grammy's, we've been photographed everywhere from getting gas to walking down the street for lunch. Even though we had a big following from the release of our first album, its increased tenfold and we're constantly being approached to sign autographs and get our pictures taken with fans. It's all been a little overwhelming but this is the life we've chosen so I'm trying to deal with it and go with the flow.

I still haven't figured out who has been sending me the roses but I'm guessing that it's someone in this room. I asked Jacob several more times during our weekly lunch outing but he still denies it. I've received 82 roses and 82 notes over the last twelve weeks, one every day. I've tried to catch them in the act but they come at all different times of the day. It doesn't help that we've been at the studio so much that I've pretty much only been sleeping at the apartment.

Alice and I decided to move out before we left for the road since we won't be back for awhile. Aro told us that we didn't have to since they were footing the bill. We just didn't feel comfortable leaving most of our belongings in a place that we'd only been living in for six months. Emmett and Quil came over early this morning and helped us move all of our things to their place. They had a spare room that was big enough to hold everything that we were leaving behind. Alice was struggling with the amount of luggage she was told she could bring along with her. They gave her extra space on Marcus's bus since he travels light. She was going to stay with me on our bus most of the time unless she and Marcus needed to work on tour specifics.

*******

After we hung out for a couple of hours mingling, Alice and I decided to leave so we could get ready. The guys were going to meet us at the party since Alice thought we needed to beautify ourselves before we showed up. We went back to the guys place to get ready since we had moved out of our apartment. When we got to the front door, my heart stopped. Stuck to the front of the door, was yet another red rose with a note attached. I opened it reluctantly, not really in the mood to read any romantic poetry tonight.

_Bella,_

_May no gift be too small to give,nor too simple to receive,which is wrapped in thoughtfulness and tied with love. _

ハンター

At this point, I had already translated the signature online to be Hunter. I racked my brains trying to recall if I'd ever met anyone with that name and came up with nothing. I started asking around Vamp and no one seemed to know anyone by that name. Every message I had received was signed the same and consisted of a quote with declarations of love and devotion. I'll admit being a literature major in college, it's what every girl dreams of. But at this point, I was tired of this game. It was almost annoying and made even worse by the fact the gesture has been overdone.

"I can't believe this. How did he know that I'd be here?" I asked Alice feeling very frustrated.

"I'm not sure but now it makes sense that this person has to be someone we know." She looked like she was thinking hard.

I sighed in resignation, "It's just that I've asked everyone that I could possibly think of and no one knows anything. There isn't anyone named Hunter that works at Vamp or for any of their affiliates."

"Don't worry. This will be all over in two days. We'll be on the road and I'm sure that it'll stop." She said trying to make me feel better.

I thought about what she said, "I really hope so. I still can't believe that one showed up here. Thank god Emmett didn't find it first. If he knew I was receiving these for the last three months, he'd flip."

"There goes the theory about being someone you know. If they really knew you, then they'd know about your big brother's overprotective side." She snorted.

For once in my life I had to agree, "He just doesn't want to see me get hurt. Still, it'd be nice to have a relationship with someone."

"I thought you said you didn't want to date anyone so you could focus on your career." She interjected.

"I know, I'm just saying, maybe someday when this is all over." I waved my hand at nothing in particular knowing she would get the meaning.

"What about Jacob? You guys have been spending an awful lot of time together lately." She raised her eyebrows at me.

I scoffed at her, "If you think meeting for an hour for lunch once a week, an awful lot of time then you're in worse shape than I'm in the realm of dating."

She furrowed her eyebrows at me, "I just haven't found him yet but I'll know it when I do."

I always loved Alice's take on fate and destiny, "Let me know when you do. Maybe you could help me to know to. As for Jacob, I don't see him as anything more than a friend.

She looked at me thoughtfully as I went on, "It's a shame because he's a really great guy. He's sweet and funny and of course good looking. And we get along really well, like we've known each other forever."

"What's the problem then?" She asked.

"I don't know. There's just something missing when I'm around him. I always thought when I found someone that I really wanted to be with, I'd get that feeling, you know the one where you feel like your heart is going to explode and there's butterflies in your stomach every time your around each other." I knew she would understand what I was talking to. She was just as much a hopeless romantic as I was.

She nodded her head at me telling me that she knew exactly what I meant, "I understand exactly what you mean."

I proceeded to tell her about how he kisses my cheek every time we say goodbye. I told her how my heart did flutter the first time but after spending more time with him, it was more like my dad giving me a kiss on the cheek."

"I didn't realize. I'm sorry." She was apologizing for trying to push Jacob on me. "It's just been so long since you even went out with anyone. I want you to be happy."

She stood up and hugged me, "It's okay Alice, that's enough moping. Let's get ready to party."

"Okay, get in the shower so I have time to get your hair done." She motioned toward the bathroom door.

"Uugh…You do realize that I can get myself ready." I groaned.

"Nonsense, that's what best friends are for." She said sternly.

"Fine, but just so you know, I'm picking out my own shoes." I knew she already had my outfit planned out like always but I wanted to do one thing for myself. I'm sure she'd get plenty of chances to play Bella Barbie while on tour. That was one of the stipulations she had made when Marcus offered her the Assistant job. She still wanted to be my personal stylist so he agreed.

I finished showering and found myself seated at the dining room table. Alice had spread all of her hair products and make-up across the table. A full service salon had nothing on her. She dried my hair and started curling it. When she was finished, she pinned the sides up so they were pulled up out of my face. When she was finished, she applied the make-up. Another thing I loved about Alice, she knew I didn't like to wear the stuff so she always applied just enough to make a difference.

I got up when she was done and went into the spare room to find the outfit she had picked out for me hanging on the back of the door. I pulled it down and found a pair of dark skinny jeans with a green top that was low cut in the front and the back. I put them on and was amazed at how well it fit. It showed off all of my natural curves and even I was amazed at how grown up I looked.

Alice got herself ready and soon we were headed to the party. Aro had decided to host the party at his mansion rather than renting a club like he had done when we celebrated the night of the Grammy's. We pulled up to the front of the house and both Alice and I were in awe as we took in the sight in front of us. The whole thing was brick with two large columns standing in the front. The landscaping that surrounded the front of the house was absolutely breathtaking as well. We stepped out of the car and Alice handed her keys to the parking attendant.

"Take care of my baby." She told him as we locked arms and walked through the front door. We were immediately greeted by Aro and Marcus who were standing close to the door so they could welcome everyone. I swear they were both just as excited as the rest of us. They deserve all of this success just as much as the rest of us. You can tell how they've put everything they had into their business and it was really paying off for them.

After we said our hello's, we started walking through the crowded room to the right of the door. It looked like it had once been a ballroom but had been transformed into party central for the night. I scanned the crowd trying to find my brother. I didn't see him but found Caius standing on the left side of the room. We made our way toward him so we could say hello. We didn't get to spend a lot of time around him since he was so busy traveling across the country looking for new talent.

"Hey Caius, how've you been? I asked after we finally managed to make it through the throng of bodies that were filling the room. I didn't even know who most of these people were but it didn't matter. I needed to get used to being around large crowds.

He smiled at us, "I'm great. Sorry that I missed you guys at the studio earlier. I just got back from New York and haven't even had a chance to unpack."

We stood there and talked to him for awhile before I spotted Alec across the room. Alice and I excused ourselves and headed in his direction. Once we got closer, I noticed all of the guys from both bands were standing in a circle laughing, well all except for the one that didn't want to see.

'_No need to worry about everyone getting along once we're on the road' _I thought to myself.

"Little sisters, you guys finally made it." Emmett's voice boomed over the crowd.

"We can't just show up looking like we just rolled out of bed." Alice said as she raised her eyebrows obviously taking in his wrinkled appearance.

"Some of us are naturally good looking and don't need to primp." He stated while taking a sip of is beer.

"You could say that again." Someone said from the left of Alice.

I turned and saw that it was Jasper and he was looking at Alice like she was the only one in the room. She smiled shyly at him as she put her head down. He whispered something in her ear and soon they were walking toward the bar.

Jacob came over to stand by me with a couple of beers in his hands. He handed one to me and soon we were laughing and joking around like we usually did whenever we were together. Soon I noticed the group that we had been standing with had scattered around and I was left standing there with Jacob by myself.

I was taking a sip of my beer when I heard someone shouting Jacob's name. I almost spat the beer out of my mouth as soon as I heard the all too familiar voice. I stood there with my back facing the direction that _His _voice came from. All of a sudden I felt someone nudge there way by me to stand between Jacob and me.

I turned away at that moment not really wanting to get into it with him tonight. All too soon, I'd be seeing him every day and I didn't want to start that hell off on the wrong foot.

"Dude, here." I heard him say as I turned slightly to see what he was doing. He was holding a bottle of what looked like tequila and was handing Jacob a shot.

"Edward, I don't think that's a good idea. You remember what happened the last time I drank tequila." Jacob shuddered and looked at him pleadingly.

Edward snorted, "Grow some balls. It's not going to kill you to have a few shots with me."

I shot him a dirty look. I didn't like him talking to Jacob that way but it didn't seem to bother Jacob.

He took the shot and smiled at me, "Edward, aren't you going to offer one to Bella."

He had his back to me the whole time he had been standing there and turned around to face me with a blank look on his face, "Oh, I didn't even see you there."

I rolled my eyes at him and reached for the shot he had just poured for me. I took it and he walked away leaving Jacob and I standing there again. We both threw the shots back after toasting to our friendship at least that's what I was doing. I caught a glimpse of sadness in his eyes for a second after the word friendship came out of my mouth.

I was trying to draw a very clear line with him up front so he wouldn't get the wrong idea down the road. I'm not sure it was working though. Edward kept returning with the bottle and poured us shots. He didn't say a word to me but kept handing me a shot every time he walked over and would walk away again after he did.

After about twelve shots, I was feeling pretty buzzed. Edward came back to give both Jacob and I another shot. I went to reach for the glass he was holding out in front of him when I stumbled and accidentally knocked it over, effectively spilling the whole thing down the front of his shirt. I grabbed his arm to steady myself and as soon as I realized what I had done, I let go and took a step back.

He stood there for a few seconds with his arm still stretched out in front of him with a shocked look on his face. I tried to stifle laughter but it wasn't working. A giggle escaped my lips especially when I realized this wasn't the first time he ended up wearing one of my drinks.

He started glaring at me, "What is it with you feeling like I need to wear your drinks.?"

At this point Jacob was laughing hysterically which wasn't helping me at all. "I'm sorry." I said still trying to hold back the giggle that was threatening to escape once again.

"It was an accident Edward." Jacob defended me in between bouts of laughter.

"I don't care. Everything's an accident with her and I always end up being the bad guy." He hissed at Jacob.

I immediately stopped myself from giggling and glared back at him, "What the fuck does that mean?"

"You know what it means. You're not as innocent as you pretend to be." He snapped at me.

That was it. He was officially killing my buzz and even though I didn't want to start with him tonight, I couldn't help myself. "You know, you're not as high and mighty as you think you are. I just see someone who just likes to make everyone else look bad so you can feel better about yourself."

"I don't really care what you think about me. Think what you want, just as long as it's far away from me." He started walking away muttering under his breath.

I felt the tears start forming in the corners of my eyes. I don't know why he got under my skin so bad but he had a good way of making me feel like shit.

"I'm sorry Bella." Jacob said as I turned and looked at him.

I tried to keep my voice steady even though I wanted to cry, damn alcohol is fucking with my emotions, "It's not your fault. I need to use the ladies room. I'll be back."

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EPOV

After we left the studio this morning, I needed to blow off some steam. We had listened to the final playback of our new album and I think it goes without words, everyone was impressed. I got back to my apartment and grabbed the keys to my Ducati and decided to take a drive.

I found myself driving around toward the outskirts of town and wished that I could just keep going. The last twelve weeks had been really rough. We had put a lot of work into the album to get it done and I really just needed a break. I was feeling anxious about the tour which was unusual for me. I loved being out on the road, traveling from city to city and playing at various venues scattered around the country.

I couldn't shake the feeling that most of my anxiety was coming from the fact that I would be seeing _Her _every day. I had done a good job of avoiding her since the day she had run into me at the studio. It took all I had to keep up with the façade I had worked so hard to perfect when it came to her. She seemed so fragile as she sat on the floor after falling down. Before I had even realized what I was doing, I reached down and helped her up. I felt that familiar jolt run through my body as my hand was connected to her arm and for a brief moment, I thought she had felt it too when she tried to jerk away. I knew that was impossible though.

Ever since that day, she was in my head. It didn't help that Jacob had brought her name up constantly. It seems they had been meeting for lunch once a week and always felt the need to give us every detail of the encounter. He would even describe her fucking outfit and the way she was wearing her hair that day. I was so irritated with him on those days that I would tell him to shut the fuck up and get to work. I was hoping he would chalk it up to my dislike of her and not realize that I had other feelings surfacing. Jasper would just look at me like he knew what I was thinking.

And what was I thinking. I knew I didn't like Jacob hanging out with her, or any other guy for that matter. I had written most of the songs for the new album with her on my mind for Christ's sake. After the last one was recorded, we were listening to the playback and I suddenly realized what I had been fighting. I wanted her, Bella. She was strong willed, talented, and obviously beautiful. I don't even think she realizes how beautiful she really is. At first I wasn't sure if my wanting her had anything to do with the fact that she hadn't thrown herself at me like most other women did. I wasn't used to that. She wasn't like any other woman that I had ever met.

I started regretting all of the things I had said to her and wished I could start over. I wanted to get to know her and after listening to Jacob go on about her and that only made it worse. I think he was really trying to get up the nerve to ask her out but it wasn't working. He kept referring to their "friendship" which I was hoping she had established that boundary. Although I'm not certain, I think she may have a boyfriend . The day she ran into me, I noticed a bunch of notes she had been carrying were scattered across the floor. As I looked down at them I saw they were "love notes". I knew I should have offered to help her pick everything up but I couldn't stand the thought of looking at someone else's words professing their love for her. Instead, I just walked away.

I knew I couldn't go back in time and change things so I continued to make sure I avoided her at all costs. Now I knew I wouldn't be able to do that in two days time. I just had to keep playing the game and hopefully, the tour would pass by quickly.

*******

I got to the party a little later than I intended hoping no one would notice. I immediately went to the bar and grabbed a whole bottle of tequila along with several shot glasses. I started walking around the room, stopping to make small talk with some of the guests. I had been chatting with Eric, the sound guy from the studio when I spotted Jacob. He was talking with someone and when the crowd parted slightly, I saw her.

She was absolutely breathtaking with her hair curled and cascading down her back. The clothes she was wearing showed off her perfect body in such a way that I felt my pants tighten at the sight. I started moving closer to them and was growing more and more agitated that Jacob was standing there with her and I wasn't. I decided to remedy that situation.

"Jacob." I shouted out when I was about six feet away from them.

I saw her cringe when she heard me. That pissed me off. If I wouldn't have been such an asshole to her all of those times, she'd be smiling at me.

"Dude, here." I said to him as I was handing him a shot from the bottle in my hand.

"Edward, I don't think that's a good idea. You remember what happened the last time I drank tequila." Jacob looked at me pleadingly, no doubt remembering when he streaked through our neighborhood back in Seattle prompting someone to call the police.

I snorted at him, "Grow some balls. It's not going to kill you to have a few shots with me."

He took the shot and smiled at the goddess standing there, "Edward, aren't you going to offer one to Bella."

I had purposely put my back to her to keep her from seeing right through me. I turned around to face her try as hard as hell to keep a blank look on my face, "Oh, I didn't even see you there."

She rolled her eyes at me and reached for the shot I had poured for her. She took it and I walked away before I said anything that might make her feel uncomfortable. I didn't want to leave them alone together but I couldn't stand seeing him looking at her like a dog with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. I mean, he is one of my best friends but I still didn't want her to be around him.

I kept going over to them with the bottle and poured shots each time without saying a word to her. After about twelve shots, I could tell they were both buzzing pretty good. I went back to give both of them another shot. I held out a shot for Bella when she stumbled, knocked it over, and spilled the whole thing down the front of my shirt. She grabbed my arm to steady herself and as soon as she regained her balance, she let go and took a step away from me.

I stood there for a few seconds with my arm still outstretched trying to remain composed. I could tell that she was trying to stifle her laughter but it wasn't working very well. A giggle escaped her lips and I couldn't help but put myself back into _'asshole mode'_.

I glared at her and said, "What is it with you feeling like I need to wear your drinks?"

At this point Jacob was laughing hysterically which was really starting to piss me off.

"I'm sorry." She said while obviously trying to hold back a giggle.

"It was an accident Edward." Jacob defended her as he was still laughing.

"I don't care. Everything's an accident with her and I always end up being the bad guy." I hissed at him hoping he would shut the fuck up.

Her expression hardened as she was now glaring back at me, "What the fuck does that mean?"

"You know what it means. You're not as innocent as you pretend to be." I snapped at her a little more harsh than I intended.

"You know, you're not as high and mighty as you think you are. I just see someone who just likes to make everyone else look bad so you can feel better about yourself." She was practically yelling at me now.

"I don't really care what you think about me. Think what you want, just as long as it's far away from me." I decided now was a good time to walk away, " I wish things could be different." I muttered under my breath hoping no one heard me.

I made my way to the staircase to use one of the bathrooms upstairs to clean up. I needed a minute to clear my head and all of the shots I had were not helping. The lights were turned off up there no doubt to keep everyone downstairs but I knew there was a restroom at the end of the long hallway. The moonlight was shining through the window giving off a hint of light, just enough to help someone not run into anything that was standing in various places throughout the entire length. I went in and washed my face and hands. I looked down at my white shirt, and saw the faint yellow tint splattered all over. I shook my head thinking back to the image of Bella's face when she spilled her drink on me. I don't know why I acted the way I did.

I felt guilty as soon as the words left my mouth but I couldn't let her know how my feelings toward her were changing. I barely knew her and yet I'm feeling this constant pull toward her, almost like she has this gravitational force surrounding her.

I stood there and berated myself for a few more minutes before I decided that this was the best way to get through the next several months. Maybe after some time, it'll get easier to avoid each other. I ran my fingers through my hair and turned to head out through the door.

I had just stepped out into the hallway closing the door behind me when I felt someone bump into me. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the darkness but as soon as I could see, I saw her. I could barely make out the shocked look on her face but I did see the tears glistening down the sides of her cheeks. She looked so defeated and I knew it was all my fault.

She put her head down and it looked like she was trying to speak but no words came out. Suddenly, I felt even worse for the way I had treated her. I didn't want to make her cry, I wanted to make her smile. Before I even realized what I was doing, I reached my hand out and cupped it under her chin pushing it up so I could see her face.

There were no words that could describe how horrible I felt when I saw the sadness emanating from her eyes. She still hadn't said anything so I tried to speak but nothing was coming out of my mouth either. I was hoping she could see how sorry I was by the look on my face.

Without thinking, I bent down and placed my mouth on hers. I expected her to pull away but she didn't, instead I started moving my lips and after what seemed like a few minutes but was actually a few seconds, her lips were moving with mine.

Our kiss started to intensify and soon I had my arms wrapped around her waist. She had reached up and place her hands behind my neck and all of sudden it was like we couldn't get enough of each other. It was like a fire had ignited as we both opened our mouths for each other allowing our tongues to dance together. I felt her leg start to snake up my calf as she let out a whimper in my mouth. I was already aroused and I'm sure she could feel it but that little sound was my undoing. I gripped her hips and pulled her up so she was pressed firmly against me. She wrapped her legs around my waist as we continued to devour each other.

I don't know how long we were in that position but all too soon I heard boisterous laughter coming from the stairs. We both froze and as if the sudden realization of what was happening had just hit us, we pulled apart. I set her back down gently and without a word spoken, she turned and walked back down the hallway. I stood there like a statue trying to make sense of what just happened. Could she feel the same need for me that I had felt for her? I couldn't wrap my head around it.

All I knew was at the moment, _I was fucked_.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_The quote:_

_May no gift be too small to give,nor too simple to receive,which is wrapped in thoughtfulness and tied with love. _

_-- L.O. Baird_

_____________________________________________________________________

_Hmm, I wonder if E's going to quit being such a jerk now._

_I guess we'll all have to wait and see._

_Thanks for reading and please review!_

_-Crimsonfirefly7_


	10. Chapter 9 Beautiful Tragedy

_I do not own any of the characters below, they all belong to the great SM._

_And the tour officially begins………_

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Chapter 9 – Beautiful Tragedy

EPOV

I woke up to sunlight streaming across my face. I groaned and rolled over hoping that I could catch a few more hours of sleep before I had to get up. As I laid there, I suddenly remembered the events from the night before with perfect clarity. I had poured shot after shot of tequila and basically forced Jacob and Bella to take them. Normally, that would've have been something I would just do to have a good time with my friends, but I had a very different motive last night. I couldn't stand to see her hanging out with Jacob while talking and laughing the whole time. It stirred a feeling deep within me that I didn't quite recognize but it definitely wasn't something that made me feel good. I kept walking up to them with the bottle hoping to interrupt the conversation each time.

My plan seemed to have been working and they were both getting pretty tipsy. I hadn't thought very far ahead as to what I would do once they were both hammered. I was kind of hoping Bella and I could start over and she would loosen up around me enough so we could talk to each other. My hopes were soon shot to hell when she accidentally tripped and spilled one of her shots down the front of my shirt. I should have started laughing and made a joke about her spilling drinks on me but that didn't happen.

I turned into the same asshole that I usually did when she was around and started in on her. I was absolutely horrible and said things that I shouldn't have. Jacob was trying to defend her but something about the way he was trying to protect her from me just set me off. I walked away feeling like a complete bastard but I wasn't about to apologize.

Then the most amazing thing happened. I bumped into her upstairs after freshening up and I kissed her. I still can't believe it happened. It was probably the most intense kiss I had ever shared with anyone. It made by body react in ways that were far beyond lust. Thinking back to the way our lips molded perfectly together made me want to go find her right now and continue what we had started under the light of the moon. Even more amazing than the fact that I had kissed her was the fact that she had kissed me back. It felt more than good to wrap my arms around her and to have her arms around me. I felt more than just the electrical shock that usually happens when we come in contact with each other.

The pleasure from that moment was all encompassing and so much more than I would have ever thought possible. I wanted, no needed to feel it again. It was like a drug to me and now that I've had a taste, there's no way I can go on without it.

That's where I really fucked up. I let her walk away without saying anything.

_Flash back_

_I was standing in the hallway in a complete daze before I made my way back downstairs. I scanned the crowd desperately searching for her when I finally made it to the bottom landing, but she was nowhere to be found. I spotted Jasper talking with Emmett near the bar and walked over to them hoping I could get one of them to tell me without my asking._

"_Edward, where've you been?" Emmett asked as his large hand slapped my back._

"_Nowhere, just hanging out with some friends." I tried to say as nonchalantly as possible._

_I looked at Jasper who was eyeing me curiously. I gave him a look that said, 'don't ask' and hoped he would catch the meaning. Instead he piped up and pointed at my chest, "What's on your shirt?"_

_I glanced down and noticed the tequila had stained my shirt an odd yellow color. I groaned and thought 'Great, now I look like I have piss all over the front of me.'_

_Apparently I wasn't the only one that noticed the color because as soon as Jasper asked, Emmett's booming voice shook with laughter, "Dude, it looks like someone pissed all over you."_

_He continued laughing with Jasper while I tried to appear as though it was no big deal. Jasper finally asked, "Did you have a fight with the worm?" knowing full well that I'd be drinking my favorite on a night like tonight._

"_Looks more like two worms." Emmett chuckled._

_I was trying to think of a way to bring her up without sounding desperate but since they couldn't get over my shirt I decided to just tell the truth, well at least part of it, "More like your sister and I had a little run-in."_

_Emmett straightened up immediately, "What did you do to her?"_

"_I didn't do a fucking thing to her." I was a little pissed that he would assume that I started something with her even though that's exactly what happened._

_He looked at me like he didn't believe me, "I still don't know what you did the last time because she wouldn't tell me, but if it's as bad as I think it is, you and I will go rounds."_

_I gave him an innocent look hoping that he'd buy it and leave it alone, "It was an accident. She tripped when I was handing her a shot and she spilled it down the front of me."_

"_She must have been pretty embarrassed 'cause she came and got Alice so they could leave about ten minutes ago." Jasper chimed in._

_Shit. She fucking left before I even had a chance to see her again. I had this nagging feeling that the next time I saw her was either going to be a very good thing or a very bad thing and it could definitely go either way. _

_Rosalie had come over to hang out with us as I grabbed a beer and we all stood around for a few hours joking around and laughing. Not long after that, I caught Rose batting her eyelashes at Emmett as they were talking to each other like they were in their own little world. Jasper and I both rolled our eyes and decided to call it a night._

_End Flashback_

I got out of bed and made my way to the kitchen to make some coffee. My hangover wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. That's probably a good thing since we're doing a sound check this afternoon for tomorrow night. We only had today and tomorrow to finish putting our show together. Fortunately, we'd already been out on tour with the last album so we knew what to expect.

I still get butterflies thinking about it. I can't wait to play the new album on stage. I just hope that a certain someone doesn't realize that most of the songs are a reflection of our relationship, or should I say non-relationship.

*******

I hung around my apartment for awhile before getting ready to head into the city. We were kicking the tour off at the Staples Center here in L.A. which I thought was pretty ironic. We were starting out at the same spot that Breaking Dawn and Crimson Eyes were pushed together, thinking back to the night of the Grammy's.

I was glad that we were playing two shows around L.A. before we had to head out on the bus. I hate being stuck on a bus for countless hours with nothing to do but play video games. The only cool thing was the fact that Sam, Jasper, Jake and I got to hang out just like we used to in Seattle. Since we all moved to L.A., we don't get together quite as much as we used to. I always thought we'd be inseparable once we moved here but everyone's got so much going on all of the time that the last twelve weeks has been the most time we've been together since we ended the last tour. I was definitely looking forward to chilling with the guys again.

******

I arrived at the Staples Center and entered through the entrance reserved for us for the next two days. I walked in to see Aro standing with Jasper discussing some of the venues we'd be playing at during the first leg of the tour. Since we're releasing our third album and Crimson Eyes' second, they've booked some larger venues than we played at during the last go-round. After tomorrow, we'd be playing at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine before heading out on the bus to play at San Diego's Convention Center.

I looked around and saw the crew had most of the stage set-up for us. Apparently, Crimson Eyes was here earlier this morning so the stage crew would know how to convert from one show to the other. Since both bands are labeled headliners, we're playing almost the same amount of time. We were given a half hour longer due to the larger play list we have to play from but fans would definitely be getting their money's worth.

Sam and Jake walked in so we all headed to the stage and grabbed our instruments. We went through some of the initial sound checks with the sound guys so they would know how to set everything for each of us. After getting the right sounds, we started going through the song list for the show. That's one thing about Aro, he gave us complete freedom as to which songs we wanted to play. He gave a few ideas which actually worked in with the show well but other than that, we had made all of the decisions.

Once we were done, Aro wanted to discuss a few things before tomorrow night so we all took a seat in the backstage area and waited for him.

He walked in excitedly and was waving his hands around, "Guys, the show is going to be great. I'm sure everyone will be happy with the songs you've chosen."

We all laughed at his animated gestures but let him go on. "There is one thing I'd like you guys to do tomorrow."

I raised my eyebrows at him waiting for him to continue, "Since this will be the first time anyone outside of Vamp has heard your new stuff and vice versa with Crimson Eyes, I'm asking that both bands will be present for each other's performance."

Sam groaned, "That's when we get mentally prepared."

"I know but neither band has heard the other's new album and like I said before, I want to show a United Front." He said quoting the name he had dubbed for the tour.

"Alright Aro, we'll do it." Everyone turned there heads to look at me with a shocked expression. I was usually the one to complain about shit like this but I was actually curious to hear their new stuff and hear Bella sing for that matter.

We all left since we had to come back the next day to go through the whole set again before the show started.

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BPOV

We arrived at the Staples Center for the final run through of our song set and I was still a little intimidated by the size of the place even after the sound checks the previous day. It was set-up a lot different than it had been the night of the Grammy's. It looked more like a rock concert setting and even though I had been to countless concerts, I was in awe that this place would be filled up with fans here to see us, and Breaking Dawn.

_Breaking Dawn. _I've really tried to avoid thinking about them or more importantly, Edward. I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened the other night at the release party but haven't come to terms with it. At first I was shocked that he kissed me. But even more so, I was kicking myself for having reciprocated. I couldn't understand how he could go from berating me one minute to holding my face with a sorrowful look on his face. And the kiss, I'd be lying if I didn't say it was good. It was more than good. My body ignited with a burning that I'd never felt before.

I felt like a live wire as I walked away from him hoping that he wouldn't follow me. Between the mixture of the feelings I had after that moment and the large amount of alcohol plaguing my body, I felt like I was going to explode. I quickly found Alice who was standing with Jasper and told her I was ready to leave. My face must have looked flushed because they were both looking at me in a curious manner. I just told them I had too much to drink and wasn't feeling very well. I don't think either one of them believed me but I really needed to get out of there.

Once Alice and I arrive back at the guys place, I decided to tell her what happened. She was smiling at me when I was done and told me that it was fate. I thought it was complete bullshit but I just let her go on. She sometimes likes others to believe that she can see the future but I wasn't buying it. I told her about the humiliating way he had talked to me after he was the one who was handing me shots all night and once again she chalked it up to foreplay. Frustrated with her, I went to bed hoping that I could sleep all of the confusing thoughts and feelings away.

I woke up the next day more confused than ever. Not only was I still feeling this foreign desire for an encore performance, but I was starting to get really pissed at the fact he had kissed me in the first place. I felt like I had whiplash from just one evening of his mood swings but that could've been from the tequila. I came to the conclusion that I wasn't going to endure his change from hot to cold in a matter of minutes, and decided I would continue to ignore him.

We ran through our entire song set from the beginning and everything went smoothly. We were all glad that Aro had let us choose our own songs to play saying that we were our best judges as to what would sound good live and what wouldn't. There was only one song that I was a little nervous to play because it was only me on the stage playing the guitar. That was put in so the guys could take a small break and regroup before the second half. Other than that, we couldn't wait to get out there. This was also going to be the night that Alec will be singing with me for the first time. He had always done some of the background vocals, but now with the new album we had written a couple of songs as duets. I think he was a little nervous which was very uncharacteristic of him as he's the one with the most outgoing stage presence.

Aro had told us that both bands needed to stay and listen to the other for the first show which I didn't mind in the least. I had paid good money to see Breaking Dawn before and now I was being paid to see them. What a change in the tides. Even though Edward is a complete Ass, it still didn't change the fact that I had always loved their music and still thought he was the most gifted musician I had ever heard.

Rather than heading home, we decided to hang out backstage to get ready since Alice insisted on having the total band experience with us. She had brought all of her supplies for my hair, make-up, and clothes and spent two hours getting me ready. We were waiting around when Marcus came down to tell us we were on in twenty. We hadn't seen the guys from Breaking Dawn but he had told us they were there.

We all headed to our places that we had been told to go. I was entering the stage from the left side after the guys went out from the right. I stood there and waited for the lights to go down and Emmett to start the count. After what seemed like an eternity and I had worked through all of my nervousness, I finally heard the beginning of our opening song coming from Alec's guitar. I ran out with my guitar and stood at the microphone:

_Silent night, let me sleep away these memories within  
__sacrifices of purities are turning into sins  
And this judgment day is growing near  
And this confession is killing me again_

This beautiful tragedy is crashing into me  
This dying destiny

So now you lay yourself down in this grave with shattered eyes  
Beautiful melodies to try and wash away the lies  
And this judgment day is growing near  
And this confession is killing me again

This beautiful tragedy, is crashing into me  
This dying destiny, take me away  
This beautiful tragedy, come crashing into me  
This dying destiny

Will you be there  
Will you be there by my grave  
_**Or will you be the death of me  
**__And my, my beautiful tragedy_

This beautiful tragedy, is crashing into me  
This dying destiny, take me away  
This beautiful tragedy, come crashing into me  
This dying destiny 

We finished the show with the crowd still going crazy screaming for an encore. We weren't sure if we should go out but Marcus motioned for us to head back out and sing one more.

After the encore was finished and we left the stage from the same side that we had entered, I saw Him. He was waiting in the same area that I had been standing in before we had gone out there. I didn't want to look at him but I couldn't help myself. He was looking at the ground and all of sudden whipped his head up and our eyes met. I'm not sure what I was seeing in his stare but it made me nervous. It wasn't the usual scowl that I usually got from him, but also not one filled with friendliness.

I turned my head and moved to walk by him so I could freshen up before they went out. I had just passed by when I felt him grab my arm. I didn't have to look to know it was him, I felt the electric shock just like I always did. He pulled me roughly to him and before I even had a chance to scream at him for touching me, his mouth was on mine in the same instant.

My mind was screaming at me to break away, _'this is the same asshole that's treated you like dirt since the day you met._' I just couldn't get my body to agree. I reached up and fisted his hair while pulling him as close as possible. He was doing the same thing while our mouths fought for domination. We continued the deep kiss for a few minutes before my mind finally won and I was able to drag myself away from him. And just like the other night, neither one of us said a word.

I went backstage like I was in a trance and changed into some dry clothes. After grabbing a bottle of water, I pulled my hair back in a ponytail so I could be comfortable for the rest of the night. I made it back to our designated area just as the lights were blacking out.

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EPOV

We were standing in the designated area that Marcus and Aro had arranged for us to watch Crimson Eyes waiting for them to go on. They were both there as well as Alice, Jane, and a few others from Vamp. The lights went out and I could just make out Emmett's silhouette climbing up to the platform where his drums were. He started the count and then the lights came on. Alec started playing his guitar with Quil joining him on the bass shortly after.

My heart just about jumped out of my chest when Bella came out on stage with her guitar. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. She stood before the microphone and started singing. I didn't recognize the song so it must've been a new one. It was pretty fucking awesome as I listened to the music and lyrics. I was actually enjoying myself when I glanced to my left to gauge the reactions of the others. Jasper was smiling like an idiot and I wasn't sure if it was because Alice was standing by him or if he liked the song.

When my eyes met Alice's, she winked at me and gave me a knowing look. I couldn't figure out why the hell she was looking at me like that so I mouthed _'What' _to her. She pointed at me and mouthed back _'Beautiful Tragedy'_.

'_What the fuck does that mean_,' I wondered. I turned my face back to watch the show and Bella. The name of the song they were playing was called Beautiful Tragedy. _'Why in the hell was Alice pointing at me though'_ I thought as I listened to the rest of the song. Then it fucking hit me like a ton of bricks, the song was about me. I think I was a little shocked when the crowd started screaming at the end of the song. I couldn't believe she had written a song about me and as I thought back to the lyrics I wondered what it meant. Did she have feelings for me or was she just using me as her muse just like I had used her? I'm sure it was the latter but I still couldn't help but feel a little smug about the whole thing.

We stood there for the rest of the show and I had to admit they were great. Alec was a real crowd pleaser and even Bella seemed to really get into her performance. There were a couple of times throughout the show where I thought the lyrics may have reflected this ongoing battle Bella and I seemed to have going on. I shook my head of those thoughts quickly since I'm pretty sure she fucking hates me.

Once they were finished and had come back onstage for an encore, the guys and I went backstage to get ready for our show. We did the usual fist bumps and headed to the areas where we were supposed to wait until it was time to go out. Marcus had set it up so the rest of the guys would enter from the right side of the stage while I entered from the left. I couldn't help but notice that Crimson Eyes had the same set-up. Marcus had said he wanted the lead singers to have a few moments to collect ourselves without the hustle and bustle of everyone running around. Basically, it was a very secluded area in which to wait.

I was standing there with my head down thinking about the song set we were starting with when I felt a presence coming toward me. I knew it was her even though I hadn't noticed the music had stopped and the crowd had died down.

I jerked my head up and started staring at her, completely mesmerized and wondering why in the hell I had started all of the hateful bullshit with her. She was staring back at me just as intently when all of sudden she turned her head and was walking by me. I don't know what overcame me but I couldn't let her leave. I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to me probably a little too roughly. I needed to say something but words weren't going to come out. Without thinking, I pulled her head to mine and crashed my lips into hers. Her hands had found there way to my hair and I thought she was going to push me away. Just then, she pulled me closer and was still pulling me to her as if we weren't close enough. I deepened the kiss in that instant and we continued to assault each others mouths.

After a few minutes, she pulled away and without saying a word, walked away. I don't know what the fuck just happened but I was definitely pumped to go out on stage now. I wouldn't mind making that part of the routine, I thought as I heard Jake starting the count.

I ran out on the stage with my guitar and started the song:

_I want a normal life  
__just like a new born child  
I am a lover hater  
I am an instigator  
You are an oversight  
Don't try to compromise  
I'll learn to love to hate it  
I am not integrated_

Just call my name  
You'll be okay  
Your scream is burning through my veins

Sooner or later you're gonna hate it  
Go ahead and throw your life away  
Driving me under, leaving me out there  
_Go ahead and throw your life away_

You're like an infantile  
I knew it all the while  
You sit and try to play me  
Just like you see on tv  
I am an oversight  
Just like a parasite  
Why am I so pathetic  
I know you won't forget it

Just call my name  
You'll be okay  
Your scream is burning through my veins

_Sooner or later you're gonna hate it  
Go ahead and throw my life away  
Driving me under, leaving me out there  
Go ahead and throw my life away_

Sooner or later you're gonna hate it  
Go ahead and throw our life away  
Driving me under, leaving me out there  
Go ahead and throw our life away

Throw our life away  
Ooooo  
Throw our life away

We finished the show with the most energetic crowd we had ever played in front of. We finally made it backstage after the second encore and I scanned the crowd for Her. I needed to talk to her but she was nowhere to be found. I caught up with Emmett and congratulated him on a great show. I asked where everyone else was and he pointed toward the far side of the room. Alec and Quil were talking to Sam and that's when I saw her.

She was standing with Jacob and as soon as I was about to walk over to them, he bent down and kissed her on the cheek. I was frozen for a minute and before I had to see anything else happen, I turned and headed for the door.

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_Songs:_

_In This Moment - Beautiful Tragedy_

_Breaking Benjamin - Sooner or Later_

_I suggest giving a listen to both of these songs as the links will be posted in my profile._

_Thanks for reading and I hate to sound like a broken record, but please review!!!_


	11. Chapter 10 Avoidance

_I do not own any of the characters below – they are owned by the great SM_

_Special Thanks to all of you who reviewed and put this story on alert. Stay with me, there's some good stuff coming over the next couple of chapters._

_Please R&R!_

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Chapter 10 – Avoidance

BPOV

The kick-off of the 'United Front Tour' had been a huge success last night and I'm still hyped up from the whole thing. It was exhilarating to get up in front of a sold out crowd and play our music just the way we like. The fans really responded to our new stuff and according to Jane, the CD sales and MP3 downloads have skyrocketed since they became available at midnight last night.

Last night was altogether perfect, well except for one minor issue. He kissed me, _**AGAIN**_**.** I was still reeling from the excitement of the crowd that I didn't even try to stop him. I had already decided to stay as far away from him as possible before that but I can't seem to escape the awkward situations I seem to put myself in when I'm around him.

I was more confused than ever when I had finally made it back to the designated area set aside for us to watch Breaking Dawn. The lights went out and when I looked out onto the stage, a very gorgeous Edward Cullen was playing the guitar with a green spotlight shining behind him. I don't think I've seen a sexier man than the one that was standing in front of me looking like a Greek god. The way his perfect muscular arms were moving with the guitar and microphone caused images of our last two encounters to run through my head over and over. Just the thought of his hands on me was causing my body to react in ways that it never has before.

I stood and watched their entire show in what can only be described as an undeniable state of arousal. I was so worked up that I had decided to forget about the pact I had made with myself to stay away from him. I wanted to talk to him and get all of these confusing thoughts and feelings out on the table, and maybe myself too. _'Oops, Bad Bella,'_ I mentally scolded myself for that thought.

Everyone made their way to the backstage area after Breaking Dawn's second encore was finished. We were all standing around congratulating each other on the performance's both bands put on. The buzz that filled the air was electrifying and you could tell everyone in the room was feeling it.

I found myself standing on my tip-toes searching the room for Edward. I was almost in a frantic state trying to pick him out in the crowd that I didn't notice Jacob had come over to talk to me. I finally heard his voice, "Bella, who are you looking for?"

I cringed internally when I realized that someone had noticed my desperate attempts at locating Edward, "No one! I mean everyone."

"Well, everyone's here." He smiled at me.

'_Not Everyone.' _I thought to myself before looking up and smiling at Jacob. "You guys were great."

"Well you guys totally rocked it tonight." He said as he bent down and kissed me on the cheek.

As soon as he kissed me, I looked up and saw someone walking out the door. In that instant, I knew it was Him. I recognized the familiar shade of bronze hair and his perfect body I had been ogling all night. _'Great',_ I thought as soon as I saw the retreating figure.

I know it was an innocent gesture, but I was starting to become uncomfortable with Jacob's advances. I still got the feeling he was looking for more than friendship from me. I'm not sure if it was from the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn't paying attention or if the notes and flower I'd been receiving were starting to spook me. Either way, after my last two encounters with Edward, I know there's no way I could give myself to anyone else before I had a chance to explore this strange connection I have with him.

I excused myself from Jacob's side and tried to get to the door so I could talk to him. Every time I made it a foot closer, someone was stopping me to tell me how great the show was. I don't think I've ever had so many compliments all at once in my entire life. By the time I made it to the door, I decided to give up on going after him. It had been awhile and since he didn't return, I figured that he didn't want to see me anyway.

The disappointment set in quickly so I grabbed Emmett so I could ride home with him. We had another show the next night at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater so we could still drive there from the guys apartment. After that, we'd be heading out by bus. I couldn't wait to get on the bus and away from this city for awhile. My nerves had been on edge since the roses started coming to the guys place.

Emmett and I arrived back to his place after leaving the others at the Staples Center. I wasn't thinking when I asked Emmett to take me home that one of my daily surprises would be waiting for me. When we walked up to the door, Emmett immediately reached up to grab the flower. I pushed his arm out of the way and managed to pull it down myself.

He raised his eyebrows at me and asked questioningly, "What the fuck Bells?"

"It's for me." I stated hoping he wouldn't notice the slight shakiness in my voice.

"How do you know?" He asked snidely as if someone had sent one of them a rose.

I stood there for a minute debating on whether I should just tell him about all of the others and finally decided to tell him now that we would be on a bus after tomorrow. This way I wouldn't have to worry about him turning into the overprotective brother if it'll be behind us.

I looked down and quietly explained, "I've been getting one everyday for the last three months."

"Holy Hell! And you're just now telling me about this?" He practically shouted in my face.

He was really starting to piss me off at this point, "I don't think I need to tell my brother every fucking thing that happens in my life."

"I didn't say that you did." He was starting to calm down.

I looked at him hopeful that he would finally get the fact that I'm an adult, "Emmett, I know you care about me but sometimes you need to let me handle things on my own."

He looked down at his feet with a guilty look on his face, "I know. I'm sorry." He paused and then asked, "Soo…who are they from?"

This was the part I didn't feel comfortable discussing, "I'm not sure. The notes always contain some kind of random quote and signed in Japanese."

His head shot up, "Japanese?"

"Yeah, I had it translated and it means Hunter. I don't know anyone by that name and I was hoping that whoever it was would've made them selves known by now." I explained.

"You think you know this person?" He asked while probably trying to figure out a way to scare this one off too.

"I must know him. It's the only thing that makes sense." I told him without trying to give him the impression that this situation had me on edge more than I'd like to admit.

"What do you mean, the only thing that makes sense?" He asked with his voice raised slightly.

I hesitated before explaining, "Who else would know we moved in here over the last week."

He furrowed his brow looking like he was thinking about his response carefully, "Do you have any clue as to who it could be?"

I didn't want to tell him that I've considered all sorts of people that I'm surrounded by, even going as far to question Jake on it. I also didn't want to tell him that my mind had even put Alec and Quil in the mix as possibilities. And even more than that, I didn't ever want to mention Edward as a possible, although highly unlikely, candidate. He already knew that we had issues with each other and I never did give him any of the details for the reasons behind those issues. He would flip if he knew about some of the shit Edward had said to me in the past. I'm positive even without Emmett knowing those facts, he'd still want to pummel Edward. I couldn't have my brother running around beating innocent people up, well at least innocent until proven guilty.

"I have no clue, it doesn't matter anyway. I'm sure it will stop once we head out on the road." I tried to sound as upbeat as I could. "Well, I'm tired, I'm heading to bed. Goodnight big brother."

"Goodnight little sister." He said as I turned and walked toward the spare room.

I changed into my pajamas and laid down waiting for sleep to take me over. I was staring at the ceiling when I realized that I hadn't even read the note from today's gift. I got up and walked over to the vanity and grabbed the note and opened it:

_Bella,_

_All love that has not friendship for its base, is like a mansion built upon the sand. _

_ハンタ_

I pondered the words for a few minutes before going to bed. A lot of the messages that I've received mention friendship and love in them. 'I wonder if that means something.' I placed the note down on the vanity and went back to bed. I must have been extremely exhausted because it wasn't long before sleep overtook me.

*******

The next night we played in Irvine and received the same response from the crowd. I had wanted to talk to Edward but never got the chance. It seemed like he was avoiding me and when I left the stage between our sets, he was avoiding me like the plague. He didn't even acknowledge me as I walked by him and headed out. I changed my clothes and once again found myself off to the side of the stage watching their show. The more I watched the more upset I became. I wasn't even sure who I was upset with. Me or Him.

After the show it was pretty much the same as the night before. We all congregated backstage and shared stories about concerts that we'd all attended previously. I was having a lot of fun even though Jake was practically glued to my side the entire time. I didn't see Edward for awhile but when he finally made his way to where we were standing, I noticed he wasn't alone. There was a strawberry blonde bimbo hanging on his arm. She was wearing the skimpiest outfit I'd ever seen and had on so much make-up that her face screamed trash. I watched him walk up to Jasper and tell him something. A few minutes later, he left.

I stood there like a fucking zombie for a few minutes. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. He was just using me for the moment, both times. I was mortified that I had let my guard down around him and swore to myself in that moment, I wouldn't do it again.

We all went home to get some sleep after that. We were heading to San Diego the next day on the bus to play at their convention center. I was really excited to finally get away from L.A. for awhile. After San Diego we would be traveling non-stop for several weeks going through cities like Phoenix, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Denver, and Las Vegas where we would be staying for a few days. We were booked to play at quite a few venues over the next month and I knew that would keep my mind from wandering to thoughts of Edward. Hopefully, he would continue to avoid me.

________________________________________________________________________

EPOV

I was pissed when I saw Jake lean down and kiss her after the first show. It didn't look like she minded it and it made me think the two moments we'd shared meant nothing to her. I don't know why I expected things to be different between us after that. She didn't even attempt to talk to me when we were in Irvine so I decided to avoid her as well.

I was hanging out backstage with a couple of the roadies when I saw Tanya sauntering toward me. 'This should be interesting' I thought to myself. She really did look like a cheap slut especially when she flirted with everyone within a fifteen foot radius. Somehow she had managed to acquire backstage passes and was acting like she belonged here. I knew what was going to happen tonight. This is just the kind of distraction I needed.

"Edward, you were like totally hot tonight." She said trying to look at me seductively.

"Um..Thanks." I responded trying to show her I wasn't really interested in conversation.

She giggled, "Some guys were trying to get me to go to a party afterwards but I told them I wanted to spend some time with my boyfriend before he goes out of town."

"Oh, I didn't realize you had a boyfriend." I said hoping that she'd take a hint for the thousandth time.

She started laughing like I just told the funniest joke ever, "Edward, you're too funny"

'_Haha'_ I thought to myself. I just wanted to get out of here before I had to cross paths with Bella, "Do you want to go to my place?"

She smiled, "Whenever you're ready."

I grabbed her arm and led her to the area where everyone else was hanging out. I told Jasper that I was leaving and I'd see them in the morning. I glanced at Bella out of the corner of my eye and she looked a little pale. I wondered what that was all about but decided not to waste any more energy on Bella Swan tonight.

We were heading to San Diego tomorrow to start an extended leg of the tour. It was going to be hard to watch Bella while we were out on the road but I'm sure I'll be able to stay away from her. I should stop being so damn selfish anyway. Jake is one of my best friends and who am I to begrudge him of this. If he's who she wants then I'll just step back and let go.

I took Tanya back to my place and as soon as the door was shut, she was all over me. We were kissing and for some reason I just couldn't get into it. These weren't the lips I wanted on mine. She tasted like bubble gum and her teeth seemed to get in the way. I don't know why I never noticed this before as we've been bed buddies since I came to L.A. My thoughts immediately turned to Bella. The way her mouth molded to mine perfectly and the way her hands were wrapped in my hair while she pulled me closer. I was getting hard just thinking about her and god did I want it to be her right now.

I opened my eyes and all I saw was the dark blue eyeshadow caked above Tanya's eyes. This girl didn't hold a candle to Bella's natural beauty even with all of the crap she had all over face. I kind of felt bad for her. She'd been coming around to let me use her and that's what I'd done. It hit me all of a sudden that after all this time, I wasn't attracted to her at all and what I was about to do was really shitty.

I pulled away from her and unwrapped her arms from around my neck, "Tanya, I can't do this."

"Can't do what?" She asked still breathing heavy from sticking her tongue halfway down my throat.

"I can't be with you tonight." I was trying to be as nice as possible without hurting her feelings.

"You're joking right." She looked at me like she was waiting for me to tell her she'd been punk'd.

I hesitated, "No, I'm not joking. I've just got a lot on my mind and I need to get ready for tomorrow."

She stepped back with a dejected look on her face, "Oh, well I guess I'll go then. Can you call me and check in from time to time?"

"Sure, I'll be really busy but I'll try." I said hoping she'd believe me. I had no intentions of calling her while I was on tour. She was still under the impression that she was my girlfriend and I didn't want to add to her delusion.

With that she gave me one last kiss and left. I walked into my room and plopped down on the bed. _'Why can't I get that woman off of my mind,' _I ran my fingers through my hair hoping to rid my thoughts of Bella. I laid back and before long I had fallen asleep.

*********

I woke up to someone pounding on my door loudly. I jumped up and looked at my alarm clock sitting on the nightstand. It said 9:45 and I was supposed to be ready 15 minutes ago. Jasper was picking me up so we could go to Vamp and get on the tour bus, my home away from home for awhile. I ran to the door and opened it while Jasper was standing there mid-knock.

"What the fuck Edward!" He looked a little agitated. "You were supposed to be ready 15 minutes ago."

"Sorry man, let me jump in the shower real quick and we can go." I apologized.

He stepped in through the door glancing around like he was looking for something, "Alright. Hurry up though."

"Give me five and we'll be out the door." I said as I practically sprinted back to my room. It's a good thing I had already packed the day before so I wouldn't make us late. Jasper always likes to be extremely early for everything but I'm more of a fashionably late kind of guy.

I showered as fast as I could and threw on some jeans and a t-shirt. I grabbed my bags and made my way out to the living room where Jasper was waiting.

"Let's go." I said as I grabbed my wallet and keys from the dining room table.

"Late night?" He raised his eyebrows as we were walking out the door.

I rolled my eyes at him not really wanting to give him the details, "Not really. I went to bed right after I got home."

He smirked at me, "Obviously."

"Jazz, it's not like that. I was alone the whole night." I said knowing he wouldn't believe me.

"Yeah right. You were with Tanya when you left after the concert last night." He stated matter-of-factly.

I shrugged my shoulders, "So, she just wanted to say goodbye. She was only here for about 10 minutes before she left."

He looked at me with surprise written all over his face, "If that's all it takes man, then I feel bad for the girl."

"She's already practically stalking me half the time. I'm trying to give her a clean break here, I don't want her to keep believing she's my girlfriend." I snapped at him.

"Dude, chill! No need to get all defensive." He said with an apologetic tone to his voice.

I gave him a quick nod telling him that this conversation was over. We made our way down to Vamp with a half hour to spare. Like I said, Jasper likes to be early so he must've planned on me making him late. The bus's were parked in the front of the building and there was a semi-large crown standing behind an area that had been roped off from the front doors of the building to the entrance of the bus's.

We walked over and saw that everyone else was standing around drinking coffee and chatting away. The air was filled with excitement as no one was standing still in the cool morning air. Once again, Jake was standing by Bella's side and she was listening intently to everything he was saying. She looked up and our eyes met briefly before I looked away.

Marcus stepped out from the building and gathered us all in a group to go over a few things he thought we should know about our immediate schedule and some of the amenities on each bus. It almost felt like we were heading out on a school field trip and we were going through the checklist.

After he was finished with his spiel, everyone boarded their own bus. As I stepped on, I noticed right away that they had added a lot more things to keep us entertained. There was a large flat screen TV in the main area with tons of movies on a shelf located to the left. On the right side, there was a Wii and an Xbox with a bunch of games for each sitting below. There was also a glass covered cabinet next to the couch with a bunch of board games stacked neatly.

I walked through toward the back of the bus and saw there were four separate doors leading down a narrow hallway. As I walked by I noticed that each one was a private sleeping area for each of us. I knew which one was mine as soon as I came to it because some of my favorite books were sitting on the small nightstand and my favorite acoustic guitar was in its stand at the foot of the bed. I didn't really notice at the time, but I was also given the only double bed that was available. I don't know if it was because they already knew how much I tossed and turned during the night but I wasn't going to complain. None of the guys said anything about my room as they were all just excited to have their own little area for privacy.

Once we were all settled, Rose came on board and we pulled away headed to San Diego. I decided to pull out my ipod and listen to Crimson Eyes new album in it's entirety. I downloaded it after the first concert and really wanted to hear the rest of it. The first song on the track was Beautiful Tragedy. I listened to it over and over again trying to figure out the meaning behind the words. I wasn't sure if it was about me or not but I hadn't had a chance to question Alice on it yet. As I went through every song, I was captivated by Bella's voice including the songs where Alec is singing with her. It was when I came to the one I had seen Bella perform onstage by herself that I was completely hypnotized by her voice:

_I've been driving through these nights  
__This road reminding me of all I am  
__As time drags on, these windows fade  
Reality starts slipping from my mind  
All I know is this all fades, the second that I'm by your side  
Can this be real, can this be fate_

Just say you'll be there for me  
Please say that you'll be there  
Just say that you'll be my side  
When the storm subsides

All these years beneath the skin  
Everything inside me turning to the shame  
I was lost, but now I can see  
This fate is turning deep inside of me  
All I know is this all fades, the second that I'm by your side  
Can this be real, can this be fate

Just say that you'll be with me  
Please say that you'll be there  
Just say that you'll be my side  
When the storm subsides

As I laid there listening to the words, I couldn't figure out if these were meant for me or not . All I knew as that I'm definitely falling for Bella Swan and that could be a very bad thing.

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_The quote:_

_All love that has not friendship for its base, is like a mansion built upon the sand. _

_- Ella Wheeler Wilcox_

_The song:_

_In This Moment – When the Storm Subsides _


	12. Chapter 11 Phoenix

_I do not own any of the characters below – they are owned by the great SM_

_This one's a little shorter but I needed to get a few things out of the way before the next one. Hope you enjoy and please R&R!_

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Chapter 11 – Phoenix

BPOV

The San Diego show was just as exciting as the first two were. It really felt like we were on tour once we got on the bus and pulled out of L.A. That morning I found my usual rose with a note which was a bit weird since they usually show up some time during the day when I'm not home. I figured whoever it was must be trying to slip me one more before we left town.

We arrived at the San Diego Convention Center a short while later. As I stepped from the bus I noticed a lot of familiar faces getting out of other vehicles including a couple of bus's reserved just for the road crew. I was talking with Alice when I felt someone's eyes on me and as I glanced to my left, I froze where I stood.

The man that I had seen leaving Jane's office a couple of months earlier was standing there watching me. I felt all of the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as he continued to stare after I'd caught him. He finally winked at me and turned his head in another direction. I didn't know who this guy was, but he made me really nervous. He must have something to do with Vamp, otherwise he wouldn't be hanging around so close to us but I had never met him before. I decided I would ask Jane later on after we were done with the concert. She was only accompanying us to San Diego as part of the initial promotions so afterwards she'd be back in L.A. I wasn't sure who she was sending in to handle everything on tour but I'm sure it would be someone we had met before.

As we were doing the sound checks before the show, I looked out into the stadium and saw all of the guys from Breaking Dawn sitting there. Jake gave me a huge smile while Jasper and Sam just smiled. Edward was sitting there with a huge scowl on his face. As soon as I realized he was back to his bitter self, I quickly looked away. I don't know what the fuck his problem was but after he kissed me twice I would've thought he could at least be civil toward me.

After the concert, we said our goodbyes to Jane but not before she introduced us to one of her assistants, Victoria. Victoria would be traveling with us and handing all of the duties Jane had been taking care of as our Publicist. She seemed like she was the serious type as her bright red hair was pulled back into a bun on the top of her head. She immediately started talking with Alice and soon they were both seated together on our bus discussing our upcoming tour schedule.

I was getting on the bus when I looked back toward the convention center and saw the blonde man again. He was trying to look inconspicuous but I could tell he was keeping his eyes on me. His icy stare sent shivers down my spine so I quickly hopped on the bus hoping we could leave San Diego right away.

We left soon after everyone was boarded and made our way to Phoenix. We were set to arrive the morning of the concert so we were going to stay in a hotel once we got into town for a night. The bus was awesome and most people would love to live in a place like it, but it can be a little claustrophobic at times.

It was a little before ten in the morning when we arrived in Phoenix. We headed straight to the Dodge Theater where we would be performing that night to get all of the sound checks done. After we were done, everyone wanted to grab something to eat downtown. I didn't feel like eating since I had been up all night snacking. I decided to have them drop me off at the hotel so I could get some rest before the night's concert.

My legs were starting to feel a little wobbly as exhaustion was taking over. Fortunately, Alice had given me the key to my room at the Sheraton so I didn't have to do the whole check-in thing. There were definitely perks to having someone else taking care of your travel arrangements. I found the elevator and stepped inside, pressing the 23 button. There wasn't anyone else in the elevator with me so I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes. I must have been dozing off while I was standing there because the sound of the bell startled me when I had reached the 23rd floor. I was regretting the all night reading session I had last night as I slowly dragged myself from the elevator.

My vision must have been blurred because all of a sudden I ran into someone and I hadn't even noticed there was anyone else around.

'_Shit',_ I cursed to myself as I found myself on the floor. I sat there for a minute trying to figure out why I couldn't seem to keep myself from running into things and falling down any time I'm away from the stage. When I'm onstage, you would think I was about as graceful and athletic as they come. I never have any problems keeping myself upright even when Alec is running all over the place with his guitar.

I was still sitting there when I suddenly realized that I had run into someone. Whoever it was hadn't said anything yet so I was hoping it would be my lucky day and it was someone from the housekeeping staff or another guest. I would rather deal with a normal person than someone from Breaking Dawn or worse, the paparazzi.

My senses must have been screwed up because someone was talking to me and trying to pull me up by the arm. I finally realized what was going on and as soon as I looked up there in all of his arrogant glory stood .Cullen.

I managed to pull myself up with him holding onto my arm firmly. Once I was up, I pushed his hands away from me and gave him my best death glare. He looked like he was slightly taken aback at first but then his face hardened into the familiar scowl I've seen for the last week.

"Sorry!" I managed to say between clenched teeth.

"Sure sounds like it." He sneered back at me.

My eyes shot up and looked him directly in the eyes, "What the fuck is your problem Cullen?"

He stood straight up and squared his shoulders as if he were preparing for battle, "You're my fucking problem."

I was shocked at the boldness of his statement but decided I had bottled up my emotions for way too long where he was concerned, "You're a cocksucker you know that."

"And you're a fucking cocktease." He spat back at me.

'_Great, name calling, how mature'_ I was silently berating myself for stooping to his level. "You know what EDWARD, I've stayed the fuck out of your way as you demanded, so get the fuck out of mine."

He didn't move and looked like he was about to say something else before I cut him off, "Look, I don't want to fight with you right now. I'm tired, cranky, and I have a king-sized bed calling my name."

I didn't wait for him to respond before I fled down the hallway to my room. I put the keycard in the slot and pushed the door open. I hadn't turned around to see the expression on his face but I'm sure he was dumbfounded. I didn't even attempt to bring up the kissing incidents and just about surrendered in this little war we've been fighting between ourselves. It was true, I didn't want to fight with him right then or any other time for that matter.

Why couldn't he just be a normal guy and talk to me like any other normal person would. Most people can carry on conversations about most topics and if we could just talk without all of the arguments we might find we could become friends. I plopped down on the bed after noticing my duffel bag had been brought to my room. As soon as I hit the bed, I knew it would only be a matter of minutes before sleep would overtake me.

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EPOV

We arrived in Phoenix mid-morning so we headed directly to the Dodge Theater where we would be performing tonight. We wanted to get all of the sound checks taken care of so we could all relax this afternoon. Our equipment had left San Diego before we did so they had arrived earlier this morning to get everything ready before we got there.

After we were done, Jasper and Jake wanted everyone to grab something to eat together. I didn't really feel like being around Jake while he ogled Bella the entire time. I politely declined and decided to walk to the hotel. Victoria, our new publicist, was the first one to step up and tell me that it was not a good idea to go by myself. I assured her that I'd be okay and it was too early in the day for fans to stalk me at the hotel.

I said my goodbyes and walked to the hotel. It was starting to get a little hot but it was nice to get some fresh air and exercise. I made my way through a side entrance and entered the elevators where I pushed the 23 button. Once on the 23rd floor I found my room quickly. As I stepped inside I realized I wasn't really that tired so I decided to explore some of the other areas on the lower floors.

I was walking to the main set of elevators when the doors opened up and someone stepped out. As soon as I saw her long mahogany hair, I knew who it was. She wasn't paying attention and walked right into me. Once again I she fell to the floor looking extremely fragile. She didn't move for what seemed like an eternity and I thought maybe she was injured. I finally reached down and grabbed her by the arm to help her up asking her if she was alright. As soon as she was upright, she pushed my hand away and when I looked at her face she was glaring at me. I was almost scared seeing the depth of her hatred for me.

"Sorry" She said between clenched teeth.

"Sure sounds like it." I sneered back at her trying to keep my cool.

Her tired eyes shot up and looked directly into my eyes, "What the fuck is your problem Cullen?"

She had never initiated the confrontations that we usually had so I was taken aback with the amount of venom she was projecting with her voice. I squared my shoulders and looked directly at her, "You're my fucking problem."

She seemed to tense up at my reply and spat out, "You're a cocksucker you know that."

"And you're a fucking cocktease." I spat back at her.

The tense posture she had been holding relaxed as she sighed in a defeated tone, "You know what EDWARD, I've stayed the fuck out of your way as you demanded, so get the fuck out of mine."

I didn't move and was about to apologize for my atrocious behavior yet again before she cut me off, "Look, I don't want to fight with you right now. I'm tired, cranky, and I have a king-sized bed calling my name."

With that, she fled down the hallway while I stood there watching her. Feeling a little frustrated, I went back to my room to sulk. I don't know why I always had to act like a giant asshole to her. I desperately wanted to talk to her and work through all of the problems we had with each other in the past. I'm not going to lie, I also wanted to experience the connection we had both times we had let our guard down and kissed.

I hung out in my room for the rest of the day before it was time to head over to the concert. We all met down in the lobby while the hotel security had cleared a path for us to the limo. It was kind of ridiculous for us to take a car when we could walk but Marcus and Victoria insisted.

*******

After the concert we were all standing around backstage when it was time to get back to our rooms. The limo picked us up and took us directly to the hotel. I didn't dare look at Bella for the entire evening for fear that we would pick up where we had left off earlier in the day. Again, she was flanked by Jake and Alice on both sides so I didn't have to worry about any kind of interaction between the two of us.

We all climbed in the elevators together since we had the entire 23rd floor reserved for the whole lot of us. I was the last one to step out into the hallway and as I followed the whole group who were talking and laughing as if they were all old friends, I realized that I was the outsider. I had put myself in that position and I didn't like it one bit.

I was shaken from my thoughts when I heard someone screeching, "Fucking Son of a bitch!"

My head shot up and I saw Bella reaching for what looked like a rose stuck in her door. She reached for it and immediately turned to the whole group and started screaming, "Joke's fucking over. Which one of you assholes is doing this to me?"

We all looked at each other obviously dumbfounded as to what she was talking about. Emmett started to say something when she cut him off, "We're not leaving until one of you owns up to this."

When no one said anything, she started ripping the flower to shreds and some kind of note fell to the ground near my feet. I reached down and picked it up:

_Bella,_

_Where love is concerned, too much is not even enough. _

_ハンタ_

I looked up at Bella to see that she was visibly shaken. She had torn all of the petals from the stem and they were lying all over the floor. Everyone was telling her that it wasn't them while Emmett had wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders. I wasn't sure what was going on at this point, but after seeing the look on Bella's face, it appeared the romantic gesture was unwanted. As I looked back at the note, it hit me that I had seen this type of card before. She had been carrying a similar stack on the day she ran into me at Vamp. They had been scattered on the floor when she fell and I was looking at them before she moved to pick them up.

It was then that I realized, she had been receiving these for quite awhile and it was obvious that she didn't know who they were from. I've had enough experience with the whole fame thing to see that she had a potential stalker. I started to back away from the group and headed to Marcus' room. He needed to know about this right away. If this person had been in L.A. and they were here with us now, he could go through the entire staff and find the culprit. With one last glance over my shoulder, I saw Bella, Emmett, and Alice going into her room.

I don't know why, but I felt this overwhelming need to protect her and there was no way I would let some asshole get to her like this again. Even if she hated me, I knew from this point forward, I would be around. With that, I knocked on Marcus' door with the note in my hand.

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_The quote:_

_Where love is concerned, too much is not even enough. _

_-- P.A.C. de Beaumarchais_

_Now we're going to see Edward the protector. Next Chapter - San Antonio_


	13. Chapter 12 San Antonio

_I do not own any of the characters below – they are owned by the great SM_

_Please R&R!_

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Chapter 12 – San Antonio

EPOV

_I don't know why, but I felt this overwhelming need to protect her and there was no way I would let some asshole get to her like this again. Even if she hated me, I knew from this point forward, I would be around. With that, I knocked on Marcus' door with the note in my hand._

Marcus opened the door and I could tell by the look on his face he was surprised to see me since we had just said goodnight ten minutes ago.

"I need to talk to you about something." I told him waiting for me to let me in his room.

He stepped aside allowing me to enter and shut the door behind me. I turned around and held the card I had been holding to him.

He had a puzzled look on his face but reached out and took it from me. He read it and turned it over to see if there was anything else on it. "Edward, I don't understand. What is this?" He asked handing it back to me.

"It's Bella's." I told him my suspicions about how many of these she may have received and that there was a possibility that she may have a stalker. He didn't say a word while I discussed the chances of a member of the staff being the person behind this. I also told him of the events that led me to his room. After I was finished, he stood up and grabbed his cell phone. He stepped out of the room to make a phone call and when he returned a few minutes later, he had a solemn expression on his face.

He hesitated before he spoke, "Apparently Bella has been receiving these notes for over three months. One everyday."

I was a little dumbstruck at this revelation so I asked, "You mean you guys knew about this?"

"No, I didn't know. I just called Jane and I guess Bella had talked to her about it. Jane felt that it was just a harmless individual and since all of the notes mentioned love, she didn't see the need for anything to be done about it." He sounded pissed that he wasn't made aware of this situation earlier.

"That's fucking nice." I remarked sarcastically. This kind of shit isn't something that should taken lightly. I've seen how far some fans will go to be with the object of their affection. Most of the time it is harmless but that doesn't mean there aren't certain individuals who will take it too far. That's when someone could get hurt.

Marcus looked at me and said, "Why don't you go back to your room and get some rest. I'm going to make some phone calls concerning security and tomorrow I'd like to talk with everyone from Breaking Dawn and Crimson Eyes together."

I nodded my head and moved to the door before he spoke again, "Don't worry. I won't let this go on any longer."

"Thanks." I said as I left his room and went back to my own.

**********

I woke up the next morning to someone pounding on the door. I stood up and walked over to the door. Before I opened it I decided to look through the peephole and saw Jake standing there. I opened the door and motioned for him to come in. He looked a little flustered so I let him speak first.

"I don't know what to do." He started pacing around my room waving his arms around.

"About what?" I asked him trying to sound as sincere as possible although I had a feeling I already knew what he was going to say.

He stopped pacing, "Bella. I can't believe she didn't tell me that this was getting so far out of hand."

I furrowed my eyebrows before asking, "You knew about this?"

A guilty expression crossed his face, "Sort of. She asked me awhile ago if I'd been sending her flowers and I told her they weren't from me."

I stood there for a minute waiting for him to continue, "I mean, we talk all of the time and I'm sure she knows that I have feelings for her. I don't understand why she didn't tell me."

I froze at his words. _'She knows he has feelings for her.' _I wonder if she feels something more for him. I glanced over at him and saw that he was waiting for me to say something, "I'm sure she didn't think it was a big deal. Don't worry about, I talked to Marcus last night and he's going to take care of everything."

Jake plopped down in the chair before giving me a shocked look, "You talked to Marcus. I thought you didn't like Bella. Why would you be concerned about her well-being?"

How do I explain this to him without giving anything away, "I don't. I just don't want to see anyone get hurt. Trust me, I've had my fair share of experiences with shit like this."

He nodded in understanding before standing up, "By the way, we're all supposed to meet in Marcus's room in an hour."

He left so I could get ready. I took a shower and got dressed for the day before packing me bag since we would be checking out soon. I knew that we'd be leaving later on and heading to the next destination where we'd be playing.

I made my way to Marcus's room hoping I'd get a chance to talk to him before everyone else arrived. As he opened the door, I noticed everyone else was already there. Apparently, they wanted to get this taken care of quickly so we could move past it. There weren't enough seats for everyone so I stood against the wall next to Alec and Jasper. Bella was sitting on the loveseat with Alice and Emmett. I noticed Rose was sitting on the arm of the loveseat next to Emmett. I briefly wondered what was going on there before there was a knock on the door.

Marcus moved to answer it while everyone was speaking quietly. As soon as Marcus stepped back in, I noticed Victoria standing there with a tall blonde haired man. He had ice blue eyes and was looking around intently. I heard a gasp and when I looked to where it came from I saw fear written all over Bella's face. I wasn't sure why she was looked like she was afraid of this guy but I didn't like it. I didn't know who he was but I had seen him around since we had left L.A. I thought he was just part of the road crew.

Marcus stepped forward and introduced the man, "Guys, this is James Tracker. He's the head of security for this tour and while he's tried to remain somewhat anonymous, I think it's time you guys know who he is."

Marcus went on to say that this James guy is a former FBI agent with the Behavioral Analysis Unit at Quantico and he's been employed by Vamp for the last two years. Due to the growing popularity of both bands and the potential for some crazy things to happen, Aro felt it was wise to send James along with us for the duration of the tour.

I looked back over at Bella and she appeared to be somewhat relieved. I wondered why she had reacted the way she did when James came in the room but was soon interrupted by James voice. He started going over some basic security measures that had been put in place for all of us and warned us to always follow them. He had a very serious tone and I could definitely picture him working with the FBI. After he told us all of the things that he wanted to say to us as a group, he told us to go ahead and head out to our bus. He needed to talk with the members of Crimson Eyes privately for a few minutes.

I followed Jasper to the door and noticed he shot a worried look at Alice. As I looked at Bella's face, I felt horrible for giving her so much grief when she already had so much going on. I noticed Jake was hesitating but James motioned for him to leave.

I went back to my room and grabbed my bag. When I got to the elevators, I saw that there were two security guards waiting to escort us to the bus. After we boarded and put our things away, we all found ourselves sitting in the main living area. We couldn't leave yet because Marcus had asked her to stay behind. I'm guessing they were going over all of the added security details put in place until they found out who was stalking Bella.

Sam and Jake pulled the Xbox out and started playing some racing game. Jasper was sitting there fidgeting with the hem of his shirt and not paying attention to the other two. I was waiting for him to say something but decided I need to break the ice.

"So what's going on between you and Alice." I asked him curiously.

His head shot up and a smile came across his face, "Nothing yet."

I could tell he was holding out on me and pushed for more information, "Yet?"

He rolled his eyes knowing that I wouldn't give up until he spilled, "We've just been hanging out together. I really like her, she's got a great personality and we never run out of things to talk about."

He was smiling the whole time he was talking about her and I couldn't help but feel bad for not asking about her before, "That's cool man."

He raised his eyebrows at me, "It is cool. Have you thought anymore about our previous conversation before we left L.A."

I knew exactly what he was talking about and looked over to make sure Jake was still engrossed in the game, "I have and I'm working on it."

He smirked at me, "Let me know how that works out for you."

We sat around for an hour before Rose came back to the bus. She had a worried look on her face but didn't want to discuss anything with us at that point. She sat down in a chair and put her earphones in and dozed off. I didn't notice her appearance this morning, but she had large black bags under her eyes like she hadn't had any sleep last night. I decided not to bother her with any more questions and went to my room.

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BPOV

When the blonde-haired man had entered Marcus's room, I just about passed out. I'm sure everyone noticed the look of fear across my face as I froze in my place. After Marcus introduced James to us as the head of security, I was extremely relieved. I couldn't believe I had reacted to him the way I had previously, but knowing he was there for our safety made me feel better. I was even more impressed when Marcus explained that he had worked for the FBI before coming to Vamp. This news gave me some hope that they could figure out who was sending me the notes.

I felt a little guilty for freaking out the way I did the night before but I couldn't believe there was a rose at my door when we got back from the concert. I thought I had left it all behind in California and was looking forward to forgetting about it. The fact that whoever was doing this was here in Phoenix really freaked me out. I knew that no one close to me was doing it because when I asked everyone last night, they all had confused looks on their faces.

After my mini-breakdown in the hallway, Alice, Emmett, and Rose came into my room and stayed with me all night. I could tell there was something going on between Rose and my brother but I was too upset to ask about it so I just let it go. We stayed up all night going through all of the notes trying to come up with a suspect. Rose was very helpful as she had apparently been in a similar situation when she was in high school. I could tell she was worried for me and the way she had talked to me trying to keep me calm made me really like her.

Emmett had fallen asleep some time during the night so Rose, Alice, and I continued talking until Marcus had stopped by at seven in the morning. He said he knew about what had happened the night before and wanted to talk to us all in a little while. Alice and Rose left to get ready and gather their things before we had to meet with Marcus. I woke Emmett up and sent him to his own room as well. I needed a shower and wanted to clear my head.

After the guys from Breaking Dawn left, James started asking me specific questions about how the roses and notes started. I went through the whole thing from the beginning telling him about how every day I had received one and they always contained some "love quote" and signed by Hunter, only the signature was in Japanese. I made sure to tell him about receiving them after we had moved in with the guys before we left L.A. He had a little notebook in his hand and was taking notes on everything I was saying. When I was done, I reached beside me and picked up the stack of notes I had been holding onto. He seemed a little surprised that I had brought them with me on tour but I explained it was a mystery that I was still trying to solve.

I gave him the notes hoping that he could figure out who it was so I could forget about the whole situation. After we were done, we all went to our rooms and grabbed our bags. I could tell the guys were worried about me because Emmett, Quil, and Alec all waited by my door to walk down to the bus with me. _'This is the reason I never have boyfriends,' _I smiled to myself at how wonderful these guys really were.

**********

We left Phoenix and continued on with the tour stopping in Tucson, Albuquerque, and a few other cities before arriving in San Antonio. The concerts had continued to be amazing in every city and I was really loving life on the road. The roses were still being left at my hotel rooms or on the door of our bus. I didn't even bother reading the notes and handed them over to James right away. He assured me they would find out who was doing this, but my faith was becoming less and less since notes were still managing to find their way to me even with all of the added security. I was still a bit uneasy about the whole situation but Alice reminded me that I needed to move forward and not let it affect the tour.

On a positive note, Edward was no longer giving me dirty looks and was actually polite when he wished me good luck before we stepped out on stage each night. Those were the only words that he said to me but at least it was a start. I was a little apprehensive with his new attitude toward me since I'm sure it was being driven by pity but I figured I would just keep my mouth shut and take what I could get from him.

We would be staying in San Antonio for a few days and I was looking forward to seeing some of the sights. The Alamo was there along with the famous Riverwalk. Alice was dying to go shopping since she hadn't been able to since we left L.A. Jasper was beyond excited to see the Alamo since history was one of his hobbies. He was always telling us historical facts about each town that we played in. I was actually learning a lot from him. It was really cool to see him and Alice spending so much time together. They really seemed to hit it off and he was definitely going out of his way to make her happy. He even offered to go shopping with her so he could help carry the bags. She told him how sweet he was but she just wanted to have a girls day out.

We didn't have to perform until the following night so Alice planned for us to all go out together for the night. I was trying to put my foot down with the whole shopping trip but she gave me the pouty look until I relented. We checked in with James to let him know what our plans were and he sent a couple of security guards with us. It was a little unsettling to have to share our plans with James every day but I knew he was only there to help. Still, I felt like a kid again asking my parents for permission to do things.

Rose and Victoria had decided to join us on our excursion while the guys were headed to some golf course for the day. We were going to the Rivercenter Mall located downtown by the river walk. We spent most of the day shopping before I finally drug Alice from the mall down to where they were offering boat rides through the downtown area. We were enjoying the ride as we looked at all of the different shops and restaurants they had to offer along the way. It was a beautiful city and I was having a lot of fun just enjoying the scenery.

The girls and I made it back to the hotel with just a little over two hours to go before we had to be at "Dick's Last Resort" for dinner. As usual, Alice had selected my clothes and did my hair and make-up. We met everyone else down in the lobby so we could take a car to Dicks. When I stepped from the elevator I almost stopped in my tracks. Edward was standing the closest to us and there were no words to describe how hot he looked. I could feel myself salivating at his body which was covered in a pair of dark jeans and a light blue button down shirt. His hair was styled with the typical wild-sex look but that wasn't what made me stop. He was staring at me intently with what could only be described as a lustful look. It was the same look I had seen on his face before after kissing him.

I looked away as Jake walked up to me and whispered, "You look beautiful."

I could feel my face turning bright red at his compliment, "Thanks, You don't look so bad yourself."

He held his arm up to escort me to the car. As we were walking, I noticed James was dressed just like the rest of us and was talking with Victoria as we all got into the cars. It was kind of nice to see him in something besides a dark suit and tie. I'm sure he wasn't just there to just hang out us but at least he was trying to blend in a little better.

We arrived at the restaurant and I knew we were in for it right away. The whole theme of the place was different than any other place I'd ever been too. The wait staff was extremely rude which was completely different than the usual type of customer service you'd receive. We were all laughing hysterically at the jokes and snide comments coming from our waiter throughout the whole meal. He was really funny and every once in a while e would wink at me.

We were enjoying a couple of drinks after we were finished eating when Alice leaned toward me and asked loud enough for everyone at the table to hear, "The waiter seems to like you?"

I shrugged my shoulders and just smiled at her thinking of how I could bring up something about her and Jasper. My thoughts were interrupted when Jake cleared his throat loudly, "Yeah, but don't you think he's a little too rude."

Everyone at the table started laughing at him as he obviously didn't get the whole theme of the restaurant. I looked across the table and saw Edward was watching me so I decided to try and break the ice with him by turning to everyone, "I'm used to it by now after dealing with Edward."

I wasn't sure if I had taken it too far, but when I looked back at Edward with a smile on my face, I saw a small smile sneak across his lips. Everyone chuckled at that and I was happy that he could take a little teasing without flying off the handle. We finished dinner and left for the next activity Alice had planned.

After dinner, Alice had found a nightclub for us to go to and blow off some steam called Club Rive. We entered and immediately headed for an area that she had reserved for us. I didn't normally like this type of place but the dance music was thumping and the positive energy that was flowing through the place couldn't be denied.

Alice grabbed me by the arm and as she was pulling me to the dance floor, I grabbed Rose and Victoria to join us. We danced for quite awhile before I a slow song came on. We were all headed back to the table where the guys were sitting when I felt someone grab me around the waist. I let out a small gasp before I turned and saw that Jake was the one who had grabbed me. He pulled me back to the dance floor and wrapped his arms around me.

I didn't really want to dance with him right then but I didn't want to make him feel bad either. I told him before that I didn't want a romantic relationship with him but he was very persistent. I was dancing to some slow song that I'd never heard before when I felt like someone was watching me. I looked over to our table and saw Edward eyes were boring into mine. I kept my eyes on him for the entire dance since were weren't really moving from the spot we started out in. Jake was worse than I was at this whole dance thing. As I kept my focus on Edward, he was doing the same thing. He kept his eyes on me and I couldn't tell by the expression on his face why he was looking at me so intently.

We finished the dance and walked back to the table to get some drinks. Edward didn't say anything to me for the rest of the night as he was talking to Alec the entire time. It seemed like those two were developing a friendship pretty quickly. As I thought more about it, it seemed like Edward was around us a lot more than he had been. I wondered why he all of a sudden wanted to be part of the group but decided it didn't really matter as long as we could be in the same room with each other without fighting.

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EPOV

We went to the nightclub after we had left the restaurant. I actually had a lot of fun and was really surprised when Bella was teasing me about our fiery relationship. I didn't want to give her any more reasons to hate me so I just smiled at her comment about having to deal with me.

When we got to the club, the girls all rushed out to the dance floor while the guys sat at the table and ordered drinks. James was sitting with us but he was drinking water noting that he was "on the job". We all laughed at him and teased him about sounding like a cop. I was sitting next to Alec and soon we were having a pretty interesting conversation about music. Apparently he had majored in music also and we had a lot of the same views on music concepts. It was nice to talk with someone who had the same background and soon realized that we had been discussing music the whole time we'd been there.

I heard a slow song come on and looked out toward the dance floor. Emmett and Jasper made their way to the floor to dance with Rose and Alice and just as I was looking for Bella, I saw Jake headed out there as well. I saw him grab Bella around the waist and lead her out to the dance floor. I immediately felt my blood boiling. I wanted to be out there with her but I knew I had screwed my chances up time after time. At least I could be around to keep an eye on her and keep whoever was stalking her away. Even if she didn't know it, I didn't want anything to happen to her.

I sat there and watched them moving in the same spot when she looked up at me. I could swear I saw something in her eyes as she looked at me the entire time. I couldn't read the expression on her face and at that moment I really wished I could her mind. The song ended and they came back to our table. I didn't talk to her but I was very aware that she kept glancing at me. We stayed until everyone was feeling pretty tipsy and it was getting late. We went back to the hotel knowing that we had a concert to put on the next night and we all needed to get some rest.

*************

We played our concert the next night and as usual everything went off without any problems. We went back to the hotel and once again, there was a rose stuck in Bella's door. She didn't freak out like she had done in Phoenix, instead she waited for James to come up and had him remove it. He handled it like it was made of glass and I didn't think anything of it at the time, but he must've been sending it out for fingerprinting. I guess that was one of the perks of having a former FBI agent working for us.

The day after the concert, we decided to go to the Alamo. Jasper had desperately wanted to go being the history buff that he is so we made a day of it. Jake wasn't feeling well so he stayed at the hotel while the rest of us went. We walked around for quite awhile taking in all of the historical facts that were displayed all around. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves as Alice was running around snapping pictures of us. We were all standing near a fountain that was under a very large tree outside when she started telling everyone to pose.

At one point, I found myself standing next to Bella when Alice yelled out, "Hey you two. Stand there, I want to get a picture."

I looked at Bella and shrugged my shoulders while she did the same. We stood next to each other while Alice was fiddling with her camera. When she looked up at us she had a frown on her face. "This isn't going to published in a high school yearbook. Can you at least try to look like you're friends and put your arms around each other or something."

I heard a gasp come from Bella and when I looked at her, she was giving Alice a dirty look. I smiled to myself and decided to just go with it and wrapped an arm around her waist. She returned the gesture and if you didn't know any better, I think we looked like an actual couple standing there getting our picture taken. Alice snapped a couple of pictures and soon we were making faces at the camera and laughing the whole time. We were both having fun and before we knew what was happening we had leaned in toward each other and pushed our lips together. This wasn't like either of the kisses that we had previously shared but one filled with sweetness and dare I say it, friendliness.

We saw a flash go off and before we had a chance to say anything, Alice had taken a picture of us kissing. She didn't say anything but I could tell from the look on her face, that she was pleased. I looked back at Bella and noticed her cheeks were tinted red as she stalked off to where Alice was standing.

We finished walking around and everyone decided to buy souvenirs. After we had all purchased our little mementos, we went back to the hotel. We were leaving in the morning so we needed to get ready to head back out on the road. I was a little sad to leave since Bella and I had finally reached some sort of silent truce but I could only look forward to what would happen next.

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_No quotes or songs for this chapter._

_What do you think about James and Victoria's roles in this story? Let me know if you were surprised that James was actually part of the security for the tour._


	14. Chapter 13 Backup Plan

_I do not own any of the characters below – they are owned by the great SM_

_This is a shorter chapter told from BPOV only. I promise the next one will be more EPOV_

_Enjoy!_

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Chapter 13 – Back-up Plan

BPOV

We left San Antonio and I couldn't help but feel a little lighter knowing that Edward and I had some sort of breakthrough. Granted, we weren't spending any one on one time together but at least the whole group could hang out with both of us without all of the awkwardness that used to be there. I did end up spending most of my time with Alice, Rose, and Jake. One of them was usually with me at all times along with Felix, my personal bodyguard. James had arranged for me to have a bodyguard after the notes and roses continued to arrive daily. The only time I didn't get one, was when we were on the road overnight headed to another stop on the tour.

We were in our third month of touring and in need of a break We had been touring non-stop since we left San Antonio going through cities like Dallas, Oklahoma City, Denver, Salt Lake City, and set to arrive in Las Vegas shortly. I thought it was strange that we had looped around half of the country to end up in Vegas but Marcus had explained that we would be staying there for a few days before catching a plane to Chicago.

Emmett and Quil were beyond excited that we would be staying Vegas after the show and couldn't wait to hit the blackjack tables. We were going to stay at the Bellagio and between the two of them, I think they quoted every line from Ocean's Eleven before we made it into the city. Alice and I were both excited to be there but not about the gambling. We wanted to see Cirque De Solei and a couple of other shows while we were in town.

We were playing at the House of Blues the night we arrived in the city of lights. Out of our whole group, I was the only one on our bus that had never been to Vegas. Emmett, Quil, and Alec had taken a trip there after our college graduation. I was invited to go along but Alice and I decided to spend some time in Forks with my Dad. My dad loved her as if she was his own daughter and the feeling was mutual from her. It only took one trip home from college for Alice to have my dad wrapped around her little finger. She and I had both agreed to return to Forks after the tour was over to spend some time with him. We both worry about him getting lonely without someone there.

We arrived at the hotel and quickly made our way to our rooms. Marcus had arrived the day before to go over security and get everything set for the concert. We had a couple of hours before we had to do the sound checks so we all just lounged around for awhile.

I was sitting on my bed looking at various tourist attractions on my laptop when someone started pounding on my door. I knew Felix had stayed down in the lobby with James to go over security arrangements while we would be staying there so it couldn't have been him. I jumped up from the bed and walked over to the door peering through the peephole. All I saw was the top of my best friends black spiky hair so I threw the door open without hesitation.

She was standing there with a panicked look on her face, "Bella, I need you to come with me."

She grabbed me by the arm and started dragging me down the hallway, "Alice, what's wrong."

She didn't say anything as we walked to Alec's door and pushed it open. When I walked in, I saw Alec leaning over the side of his bed vomiting into a wastebasket. Emmett and Quil were standing in the room whispering to each other with worried looks on their faces.

I removed my eyes from Alec's heaving form and turned to Emmett, "What happened?"

Emmett started to speak when Alice cut him off, "He's been doing this since we got here. I was helping him carry his guitar before heading to my own room and he ran to the sink as soon as we stepped through the door."

Emmett stepped up and pointed in the direction of the bed, "I think we need to get a doctor in here before he becomes dehydrated."

I nodded my head in agreement and ran into the bathroom to get a cold cloth to put on his head. If it was anyone else, there's no way I could have handled being around the vomiting, nut Alec was family and he needed someone to take care of him. Emmett and Quil left the room to find Victoria while Alice and I stayed with Alec.

A little while later, someone was knocking on the door. Alice jumped up and opened the door to find Victoria, Emmett, Quil, and a man who was holding a small black bag. I assumed he was the doctor and as soon as they entered the room, he pulled a stethoscope out of his bag. I moved away from Alec who was curled up under the blankets shivering like he was standing outside in a snowstorm without any clothes on.

We all stepped back so the doctor could check him out and started discussing the cancellation of our concert for the night. Victoria was trying to figure out a way for us to cancel and reschedule for a later date. Of course, Breaking Dawn would still play so they would just have to hand out vouchers or something for the later date. She immediately pulled out her Blackberry and started going through dates when her phone started ringing. She stepped out in the hallway after we heard her confirm that it was Marcus on the phone.

The doctor had finished examining Alec and told us he wanted to admit him to the hospital for possible food poisoning. It was worse than we had thought and all of a sudden, canceling the show wasn't a big deal. Victoria came back in the room as the doctor was explaining the symptoms and treatment he'd like to put Alec through.

We were all listening intently when we heard groaning coming from the bed. We looked over and Alec was motioning for us to come over with his weak arms. As we moved closer, we could tell he had become dehydrated but was doing his best to look like he wasn't sick. Once we were standing there, he grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand and made a phone call.

Someone must've answered on the other end because soon after Alec had answered in a raspy voice, "Dude, I'm being admitted to the hospital with food poisoning."

He continued after a minute, "No, I don't want to cancel tonight. That's why I need to talk to you."

He waited for a minute, "Alright. See you in twenty."

He hung up the phone and looked up at all of us who must have had questioning looks on our faces and shrugged his shoulders. I was about to ask him who he'd been talking to when he cut me off, "I'm sorry about this you guys."

"Don't worry about it man. We can play here another time." Emmett said trying to make Alec feel better.

I was still waiting for an explanation when he reached over and grabbed the wastebasket again and started heaving. He did that for a couple of minutes when Victoria and the doctor came over to stand by us. I felt bad for Alec as were all keeping our eyes on him the whole time he was getting sick. I know I wouldn't want anybody watching me but I just couldn't help myself. Besides, it wasn't the first time any of us had seen one of the others sick. After all, we did live together for four years at college.

Alec wiped his mouth off with the towel Alice had brought over to him and looked up to Victoria, "You don't need to cancel the show tonight. I've got a plan and once I tell you about it, the good doctor can take me to the hospital."

We stood there in silence for a minute waiting for Alec to explain but instead he asked us, "Do you guys trust me?"

We all looked at him like he was asking the dumbest question ever when I spoke up, "Of course we trust you."

He looked at me momentarily before responding, "I need you guys to trust me when I tell you to go on with the show tonight. I have a plan but I can't tell you about it yet."

I'm sure we were all confused by his insistence that we still put on the show but before any of us could say anything, Alec asked us to leave the room.

"Don't worry about anything. The show must go on right. Oh, and Bella, kick ass tonight! " I turned around as he winked at me and left his room as he was reaching for the wastebasket again.

We went over to Emmett's room to talk about the plan for the night but we couldn't seem to come up with anything solid. We tried discussing a change in our set but every time one of our songs was brought up, someone had a reason to leave it in.

We weren't getting anywhere and I was starting to get a little irritated when Alice decided to pipe up, "You guys, I think you should trust Alec and just keep everything as it was."

I gave her an incredulous look and asked, "How do you know?"

She smirked at me before answering, "Alec would never let you guys down. You know that so just do as he asked."

She started tapping the side of her temple, "Besides, I have a feeling everything will work out alright."

Emmett grabbed a hold of her and wrapped his arms around her before lifting her from the ground in a big bear hug, "I'm so glad you're here."

He set her down and looked at the rest of us, "I think we should do what she says and listen to Alec."

Quil and I both nodded in agreement and left the room. I went back to my room to get ready. Alice arrived a few minutes later and worked on getting my hair and make-up done before we left. We were playing at the House of Blues and Victoria had decided we should arrive in style tonight instead of getting ready at the venue like we usually did.

We left the Bellagio in the limo the hotel had provided for us and I couldn't help but feel sad that Alec wasn't with us. Since Crimson Eyes had formed, we had never played a show without all four of us present. I knew there would be someone else out on the stage with us but I couldn't fathom who it would be. I know a lot of bands actually have individuals traveling with them who know the songs and can replace any one of the members if the need arises. I know we didn't have anyone like that unless Alec had been working with someone that we weren't aware of. That would be just like him. He's always prepared for anything.

I was so nervous about tonight being an epic disaster, I couldn't keep from biting my lower lip. As we sat in the limo, I looked across the seat at Alice who had been watching me intently. She was smirking at me and if I didn't know better, I'd say she had something up her sleeve or at the very least knew something that I didn't know.

We arrived at the House of Blues and made our way inside. The stage had been set-up the same way that it usually was. I still had this feeling that something was missing and I knew there actually was this time. I had to keep reminding myself to trust Alec and replay his words from earlier today, "The show must go on."

We were waiting around backstage when Marcus came back and told us to go ahead and take our places. I walked through the hallway to the side of the stage where I normally entered. I stood there for several minutes mentally preparing myself when I heard 5the crowd go crazy. An announcer was welcoming us to the stage and after a couple of minutes, I heard the opening riff of Beautiful tragedy. I swear it sounded just like Alec playing and I felt immediately calmed. _'Maybe they were able to give him some sort of__miracle drug so he could make it tonight.'_ I thought to myself as I started heading out on the stage.

I got out on the stage and noticed the crowd was in a frenzy. I mean, they're usually excited to see us but this, this was way more. I didn't have chance to turn around and see who was playing the guitar because it was time for me to start singing so I just started the song. When there was a break in the song, I looked over and froze in my tracks. _'No Fucking Way!'_

There playing the guitar was…….

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_A/N: Sorry for ending the chapter like this but promise to update soon._

_Once again, please review and let me know how I'm doing. _


	15. Chapter 14 Guitar God

_I do not own any of the characters below – they are owned by the great SM_

_Thanks to those of you that left me a review! It's really appreciated and I hope to receive more on the upcoming chapters. There's a lot of story left to write and I hope you guys like it as much as I'm excited to write it. Now for the moment you've been waiting for._

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Chapter 14 – Guitar God

BPOV

_There playing the guitar was…….Edward Cullen._

I couldn't believe it when I saw him standing there going through the song like he had been playing it for years. As if he were reading my mind, he looked up at me and winked. I turned back to the microphone before I missed the next line in the song and embarrass myself in front of all these people. I was beyond shocked that he was out on the stage with us but knew I had to keep my cool to pull this off. Edward must've sensed my stress because he started running across the stage and playing into the crowds excitement. By the time we were finished with the first song, I was extremely tense and needed to relax in order to continue and hoped the songs I usually sing with Alec would go off without a hitch.

We went through a couple more songs where I was singing solo before we came to the first one where I needed him to sing with me. I was finally starting to settle down as Edward was playing the lead guitar flawlessly. He truly was as talented as I had always thought and was definitely earning the title of _**Guitar God**_ back – at least that's what I used to call him before I had met him. I moved over to the keyboard and started playing:

(_Bella - italics_; _**Edward bold italics**_)

_How can you see into my eyes like open doors?  
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb  
Without a soul, my spirit sleeping somewhere cold  
Until you find it there and lead it back home_

_**Wake me up  
**__(Wake me up inside)  
__**I can't wake up  
**__(Wake me up inside)  
__**Save me  
**__(Call my name and save me from the dark)_

_**Wake me up  
**__(Bid my blood to run)  
__**I can't wake up  
**__(Before I come undone)  
__**Save me  
**__(Save me from the nothing I've become)_

_**Wake me up  
**__(Wake me up inside)  
__**I can't wake up  
**__(Wake me up inside)  
__**Save me  
**__(Call my name and save me from the dark)_

_**Wake me up  
**__(Bid my blood to run)  
__**I can't wake up  
**__(Before I come undone)  
__**Save me  
**__(Save me from the nothing I've become)_

_**I've been living a lie  
There's nothing inside  
**__Bring me to life_

Now that I know what I'm without  
You can't just leave me  
Breathe into me and make me real  
Bring me to life

Frozen inside without your touch  
Without your love, darling  
Only you are the life among the dead

_**All this time, I can't believe I couldn't see  
Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me  
**__I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems  
Got to open my eyes to everything_

_**Without thought, without voice, without a soul  
**__Don't let me die here  
__**There must be something more  
**__Bring me to life_

_**Wake me up  
**__(Wake me up inside)  
__**I can't wake up  
**__(Wake me up inside)  
__**Save me  
**__(Call my name and save me from the dark)_

_**Wake me up  
**__(Bid my blood to run)  
__**I can't wake up  
**__(Before I come undone)  
__**Save me  
**__(Save me from the nothing I've become)_

_**I've been living a lie  
There's nothing inside  
**__Bring me to life_

We finished the song and I swear everyone could feel the electricity flowing between the two of us. I almost forgot that we were standing on a stage in front of thousands of people as we were staring at each other the entire time. His emerald green eyes were sparkling like I had never seen before and he was actually smiling. I had never been more attracted to Edward Cullen than in that moment and I was a little disappointed when all too soon, it was time to start the next song. I broke eye contact with him as we began the next one.

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EPOV

We arrived in Vegas and everyone was buzzing with excitement as we made our way to the hotel. We had played here during our last tour and it was one of the best shows we put on throughout the whole thing. Jake was thrilled to get a chance to win back some of the money he had lost here the last time. We had tried to drag him away from the Blackjack table but he refused to leave. He had won quite a bit before he started losing every hand and soon he was in the hole by a thousand dollars. After that little escapade, he bought a book about blackjack and swore the next time he came here, he'd be more prepared. I couldn't help but laugh at the memory of Jake sitting on the bus reading that book like it was the bible. He even went so far as to buy one of those handheld games to get in more 'practice' as he liked to say.

We arrived at the Bellagio with plenty of time left in the day to rest before we had to do sound checks. I stepped from the bus and went into the lobby where James was talking with Felix, Bella's new personal bodyguard. Felix looked up at me as I was walking by and I swear he was glaring at me with an evil smile perched on his lips. I didn't like the guy and I made sure James knew it when I complained that I didn't trust him. He came back and told me that I didn't need to concern myself with Felix since I didn't have to deal with him anyway. He was there for Bella and her alone and if I didn't like it, then stay away from them.

I went to my hotel room to catch a nap since it was impossible with Jake's loud voice booming through the entire bus before we got here. I laid down on the bed and soon fell asleep.

I woke up to the sound of my cell phone ringing and when I glanced at the clock, I realized I'd been sleeping for an hour. I picked it up and saw Alec's name flash across the caller ID screen so I pressed the talk button.

"Hey Alec, what's up." I asked before he had a chance to say anything.

I heard a raspy voice coming from the other end and realized that it sounded like a very sick Alec, "Dude, I'm being admitted to the hospital with food poisoning."

"Whoa, that suck's." I said a little stunned that he had to go to the hospital, "Will Bella be able to handle the lead vocals and lead guitar without you there and if not, are you guys going to cancel the show tonight?"

He answered in a firm tone, "No, I don't want to cancel tonight. That's why I need to talk to you."

I had a feeling I knew where this conversation was headed but I wanted him to say it out loud, "Okay, I just woke up so I need to jump in the shower really quick. Give me about twenty minutes and we can talk."

"Alright. See you in twenty." He said before hanging up the phone.

I set my phone down and started to think about the conversation I was about to have with Alec. He and I had become good friends over the last month and have had quite a few late night jam sessions while the others were either out or asleep. He was genuinely surprised when during one of those sessions I had played all of the guitar chords from three of their new songs. I didn't want to admit it to him at the time, but I could actually play every song from both of their albums on the guitar. I had liked their first album so much that it only took me a week to learn it and after we started touring, it was the same with the second. Playing guitar was second nature to me and if I wasn't the lead singer for Breaking Dawn then that's all I would do in the band. Jasper was just as gifted as I was on the guitar and hated to sing so that's how I ended up the singer and not the lead guitarist. It all works out for us though.

I got up and headed for the shower still thinking of all the possibilities tonight could bring for me. The more I thought about it, the more excited I became. I always wondered what it would be like to stand off to the side and not have to lead the band through the whole set. The idea of it was really starting to appeal to me more and more. I needed to stop thinking like this before I set myself up for disappointment just in case that's not why he wanted to talk to me so I told myself, _'I need to quit thinking about this. He may not even ask me to fill in for him.'_

I finished showering and got dressed before heading down to Alec's room. I found his room after I had to call him back to get the room number. I knocked on the door and was met by Victoria wearing a very curious expression on her face. She smiled and moved out of the way for me to enter. Once I walked in, I also noticed a gentleman standing in the corner talking on a cell phone. I assumed this was the doctor they had brought in.

After glancing around the room, I noticed Alec wasn't there. I was about to ask Victoria where he was when the bathroom door opened and a very sickly looking Alec trudged his way toward the bed. He was so pale and his eyes were bloodshot worse than I'd ever seen before.

I walked over and sat in the chair so he could tell me why he needed to talk to me. He didn't say anything so I started, "Dude, you look like shit!"

"Gee, thanks for the self esteem boost." He said in the same raspy tone he had earlier on the phone.

I chuckled even though he looked far from amused, "Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood."

"S'okay. Now that you're here, I need to ask you for a favor." At this point he motioned for Victoria to come closer.

I sat there silently waiting for him to go on, "I want you to take my place tonight for our show."

I still didn't say anything but waited for him to continue, "I know you can play all of our songs. Hell, you can probably play most of them better than I can."

I didn't know what to say. I had a feeling that he would ask this of me but it was still hard to wrap my head around. I started thinking about how much fun I could have to just be the guitar player. Granted, I wasn't sure how Bella would feel about me being onstage with her but I couldn't help but feel pretty damn excited about it. I started to get butterflies in my stomach thinking about it when all of a sudden I started having guilty thoughts. I had never played onstage without the other guys from Breaking Dawn and now I felt like I was betraying them just by thinking about it.

I was about to ask Alec a question when Victoria cut me off, "Edward, do you think you could do it?"

I scoffed at the obvious doubtfulness coming from her voice, knowing full well I could play the whole set without a problem, "Yeah, I could do it."

"Now the real question, will you do it?" She looked at me questionably.

I outweighed the pros versus the cons for a minute before answering, "Let me talk to my band first before I give you an answer. I need to make sure they'd be okay with it before I commit."

"That sounds fair. Let me call Marcus to make sure there isn't anything in your contract that would prevent this from happening."

She walked out of the room with her cell phone before I turned back to Alec, "Are you going to tell the others about me filling in?"

He hesitated for a minute before answering, "I don't think so. I think it'd be better if we went with the element of surprise."

I raised my eyebrow at him, "If that's what you want to do."

He smirked at me, well at least he tried given his current state of health, "There's no need to make them any more nervous than they already are. I mean, I haven't exactly mentioned that we've had our previous jam sessions. Besides, I think it will be a great compliment for them if they knew you could play all of our songs."

We were discussing the details of the set list and some other minor details when Victoria returned with Marcus. They both came in with smiles on their faces.

Before I had a chance to say anything Marcus spoke, "Edward, you have no idea how much we, at Vamp, would appreciate this if you do it. I discussed the situation with Aro and he wanted me to assure you there is nothing in your contract that would prevent this from happening."

I stood up from my chair and looked over at Alec who was basically pleading with me to do this, "Let me go talk to Jasper, Jake, and Sam. I'll be back in a few minutes."

I left the room and made my way to Jasper's room. I was just about to knock on the door when I heard someone coming down the hallway. I looked to my right and Alice was heading this way. She skipped up to me just as I turned to knock on the door and said, "Hi!"

"Uh…Hi!" I returned the greeting. She didn't say anything else so I knocked on the door and Jasper answered it quickly. He looked at me with curiosity in his eyes and when he looked behind me his whole face lit up. Alice was still standing there and after a couple of minutes they were still staring into each other's eyes. I rolled my eyes as they both had dumb smiles on their faces and walked past Jasper into his room.

I went in and plopped down on the couch waiting for him to finish whatever he was doing with Alice. After ten minutes he came back into the room with a thoughtful look on his face. I swear if I didn't know better, I'd say he looked like a chick with that dreamy expression and constant smile plastered across his face.

I sat up straight and told Jasper about Alec's situation and how he wanted me to replace him for the night. I was nervous about Jasper's reaction as he had a blank expression on his face for a few moments before it turned into a smirk.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked him trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"No reason. I think you should do it." He sounded a little too excited about this.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Why do you seem to be so excited about his?"

He shook his head and started laughing to himself, "Edward, I'm only going to say this once. I think you should go out there tonight and show her you're not a complete dickhead."

'_Her'_, I thought to myself before I spoke, "Who are you talking about?"

He narrowed his eyes back at me, "You know damn well who I'm talking about. And don't act like you don't. I've heard you playing their songs in your room when we're on the bus. I also know you have both of their albums downloaded on your Ipod."

I was about to interject when he continued on with his rambling, "I do have one question for you though? How is it Alec knew you could replace him without any problems?"

I hesitated for a minute before I told him all about the late night jam sessions we had while they were all out partying. We actually discussed writing a couple of songs together that both bands could perform live but decided to wait until we were closer to the end of the tour.

I was finished when Jasper spoke, "Alright, You'd better go and don't worry about Sam and Jake. They'll be cool with it. I'll tell them before we head down for sound checks."

With that, I left his room to let Marcus and Alec know I would do it. I can't believe I'm agreeing to play with Crimson Eyes live in concert. _'I hope I don't fuck this up'_, I thought to myself as I walked back into Alec's room. I quickly told them that I would do it and agreed to not say anything about it to anyone else before show time. Apparently, Victoria thought it would be better if Bella, Quil, and Emmett were just as surprised as the crowd will be when I step out. I said goodbye just as the doctor and what appeared to be a nurse were helping Alec into a wheelchair. He thanked me again and wished me luck as I left.

****************

I was nervous as fuck waiting around for the show to start. Crimson Eyes didn't come down to do their sound checks so we went ahead and took care of it for them. As Jasper had told me, Same and Jake were totally okay with me filling in for Alec. All three of them thought it would be cool to see me onstage with the others for once. Sam said it would give them a better perspective of what I look like from the other side of the fence so they can help me change my ways. He laughed as I play punched him in the arm.

After awhile, Marcus came to tell me it was just about time to go out onstage. I started to walk to the side of the stage where I would normally enter from but he stopped me and pointed in the other direction. I smacked my forehead and chuckled to myself before I went in the opposite direction.

When I got to the other side, Emmett and Quil were standing there looking around nervously. When I walked over they both appeared to be confused as to why I was there. They never saw me between our shows since I was always on the other side of the stage.

Emmett didn't notice that I was holding my guitar at first but when he looked down and saw it, his whole face lit up, "You're fucking kidding me right."

Quil looked confused, "What are you talking about Em."

I just nodded my head and smiled as a look of understanding came across Quil's face. "You're playing with us tonight?" He asked in a hopeful tone.

"Yes I am, I just hope I can pull it off." I told them truthfully because I was pretty nervous about the whole thing.

"Dude, it'll be cool. You DO know the songs right?" Emmett raised his eyebrows at me.

I looked at my feet for a minute before I answered, "I do, I actually jam with Alec once in awhile so it shouldn't be a problem."

They both looked relieved after hearing that so we just stood there going over the play list again. I was feeling pretty comfortable before Emmett spoke up, "One more question, does my sister know about this?"

I must have had a panicked expression on my face due to the mention of his sister because before I could say anything , Emmett spoke again, "Don't worry. She'll be more than thrilled to have you up there."

"Yeah, after all she used to call you Guitar God. You were her favorite musician for a long time." Quil chimed in.

'_Guitar God'_, that has a nice ring to it and I couldn't help but feel a little smug that Bella had coined that term for me before we had met. I wonder if that's what Alice had meant when she said Bella used to have a lot of respect for me. I was actually her favorite guitarist at one time. I really screwed up with her and I hope after tonight, she'll see me in a better light again. I'm sure it'll take more than just helping them out for one night, but I've got to try.

After that, it was time to head out on the stage. When we got out there, I tried to stay more toward the back as I didn't want Bella to see me right away. It took a few minutes before the crowd realized I was out there but as soon as they did, they went into a frenzy. I started the opening riff for _'Beautiful Tragedy'_ when she came out onstage and went right to the microphone. It took a few minutes before she turned to see who was playing the guitar but I swear when she saw that it was me, she froze in her tracks. Trying to diffuse the situation and keep her from missing lines, I winked at her. She turned back to continue the song but I could tell she was about to lose it so I moved from where I had been standing and started interacting with the crowd.

We played a couple more songs and I was having a blast playing with the crowd and running around on the stage. Bella seemed like she had calmed down immensely which was a good thing since we had to sing the next one together. We finished _'I'm So Sick'_ and she moved over to the keyboard to start _'Bring Me To Life'_. She started playing and soon we were both singing the lyrics. I didn't know what was happening but I felt more drawn to her during that song than I ever had before. We were staring at each other at the end and I couldn't help but smile at her. I was having more fun than I'd ever had before and I wanted everyone to know it. We started the next song and I was more than excited that we'd both be singing this one too:

(_Bella - italics_; _**Edward bold italics**_)

_**Burning here  
**__**In my room  
Feeling bad  
The walls are moving closer  
Silencing, the darkness me  
Leads me to  
The ending of another day  
A mourn day**_

_Tell me who you are,  
I am spellbound  
You cannot have this control on me  
Everywhere I go  
I am spellbound.  
I will break the spell you put on me._

_**Velvet trees  
Glowing candles  
Silent whispers  
Of voices inside of my head  
The night that calls  
It waits for me  
Leads me to  
The ending of another day  
A mourn day**_

_Tell me who you are,  
I am spellbound  
You cannot have this control on me  
Everywhere I go  
I am spellbound.  
I will break this spell you put on the me___

Tell me who you are,  
I am spellbound  
You cannot have this control on me  
Everywhere I go  
I am spellbound.  
I will break this spell you put on me.  
_**  
Everywhere I go**__, I am spellbound.  
__**Everywhere I go**__, I am spellbound.  
__**Everywhere I go**__, I am spellbound.  
I will break the spell you put on me._

_Break the spell  
_

We finished the concert and by the way the crowd was responding, they were more than pleased. We performed one encore and at the end of the song I walked up to stand by Bella's side and grabbed her hand. Quil and Emmett were on the other side and as we all linked hands we bent down giving the crowd a bow. As we walked off of the stage I shot a glance at Bella and she was beaming. I'd never seen her look so happy and I only hoped I had lived up to her expectations.

I didn't get a chance to talk to her because I was in desperate need of a shower before I had to go back out with Breaking Dawn. I had about fifteen minutes to get ready before I had to go back out so I quickly made my way to a dressing room with a shower.

I took a shower and changed into a new pair of jeans and a t-shirt Alice had graciously brought down for me after I had called Jasper to bring them. Alice must've been with him when I had called because she shouted from somewhere in the background that she'd bring my stuff down for me.

I finished getting ready in record time and made my way back to my side of the stage. I stepped to the area where I usually wait and stopped abruptly. Standing there was none other than Bella Swan. She was looking at me with a hopeful look on her face. I walked over to her and before I even knew what was happening, she launched herself at me and locked her lips with mine. She removed her lips from mine and whispered in my ear, "Thank you for tonight."

The way her breath had washed across my ear as she spoke to me was the most sensual feeling I had ever experienced. I couldn't move or speak for what seemed like an eternity and just when I was about to say something, I heard Jake start the count. She must've heard it too because she turned and walked away. I watched her leave and headed out to start our part of the concert.

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_The Songs:_

_Bring Me To Life – Evanescence_

_Spellbound – Lacuna Coil_

_These will be posted on my profile for your viewing pleasure. Oh and before I forget, the video for Bring me to life that I've chosen has clips from Twilight throughout it. Enjoy!_

_Thanks for reading and please R&R!_


	16. Chapter 15 Celebration

_I do not own any of the characters below – they are owned by the great SM_

_I wanted you all to know that I've read your reviews and I appreciate your support. I'll try to start answering them but I've been devoting all of my free time to writing this story. Hope you like this chapter because it gets even better in the next one so R&R!_

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Chapter 15 – Celebration

BPOV

I walked off the stage with an elated felling as we just wrapped up the most mind blowing concert we'd put on yet. I still couldn't believe that I had just played an entire show with Edward Cullen playing the guitar and singing with me, and not only that, but songs that I'd written. I was on cloud nine as I made my way to the backstage area even though I still wasn't sure if I should be pissed at Alec for keeping this from us.

The concert went off without a hitch and I still couldn't fathom how Edward knew every one of the songs. I didn't hear him make a mistake the entire time which even the rest of us have a hard time going through the night without screwing up at least once.

I found Emmett and Quil as they were both still bouncing around like two little kids that just ate a bunch of candy. We stood around talking for a few minutes about how well everything went and that we were going to head down to the hospital after Marcus got Breaking Dawn set for their performance. I got tired of standing around waiting with all of the adrenaline still pumping through my veins when I decided to go for a little walk.

My thoughts had me completely distracted and when I realized I was standing in the same area that I had just exited the stage from, I couldn't help but feel a little excited to see Edward. He wasn't there yet but I knew he would be soon so I decided to wait for him. I wanted to thank him for filling in tonight and how amazing he was. I knew he wouldn't have a lot of time to talk so we would discuss his flawless performance in more detail later.

I was standing there when I saw him enter from the backstage area. He didn't notice me at first but when he looked up and met my eyes, I couldn't help but smile at him. I could tell he had just taken a shower as he had different clothes on and his hair had a damp look to it. As he got closer, my mind seemed to turn to mush and the next thing I knew, I was throwing myself at him and caught his lips with mine. I knew I didn't have a lot of time so I needed to make this quick. After a brief moment of kissing, I pulled away and whispered in his ear, "Thank you for tonight."

I heard the count starting from the stage area and took that as my cue to leave. I looked at him for one split second and saw the most thoughtful look on his face before I turned and walked away.

I found Alice waiting for me at the back door near where the car had been parked. She was motioning for me to hurry up so we could get out of there before any over eager fans noticed us leaving. Marcus had told us that it was okay for us to leave early tonight. He knew we would want to be with Alec and since we had already watched Breaking Dawn every night since we kicked off the tour, he didn't think missing one of their shows was a big deal.

The limo driver took us to the hospital where Alec had been admitted. Victoria had decided to stay with him while we were all performing so he wouldn't be alone. Emmett had called her to let her know we were on our way and to find out which room he was in.

Once we arrived, we made our way to his room and found him there with an IV attached to his arm sleeping soundly while Victoria was sitting in the chair next to the bed flipping through a magazine. We quietly entered the room and started asking her questions about his condition. She told us that it was food poisoning so they pumped what was left in his stomach out. They gave him some antibiotics through his IV and he was also getting a steady flow of liquids to keep him from getting dehydrated.

She looked a little tired from being at the hospital all day so we told her she could go back to the hotel to get some rest. Alice and Quil jumped on the other bed that was in the room and started flipping through channels on the TV while Emmett took over the chair Victoria had previously occupied. The only other chair in the room looked uncomfortable as hell, so I decided to crawl in bed and lay beside Alec. He wasn't contagious anyways so I figured it wouldn't be a problem.

I must've fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes, I couldn't tell where I was due to the bright light shining in my face. I felt someone poking me in the arm and when I turned to see who was fucking with me, I immediately saw Alec grinning widely. After seeing his face, realization set in and I remembered we were at the hospital.

I sat up and was surprised that the room was now filled with people. I glanced at the clock and noticed it was after one o'clock in the morning. I was surprised the hospital staff had allowed any more visitors after we had shown up as they were already giving us a hard time when we had come in. I assumed that Victoria must've talked to them because no one else had questioned our presence after that. Marcus and some of the roadies were there along with all of the guys from Breaking Dawn. As I looked around the room, I saw Edward standing in the back with what could only be described as a tortured expression written across his face.

Jake had come over to my side of the bed and started teasing me, "Bella Your hair looks like a haystack."

I rolled my eyes at him and plopped back against a pillow, "Very funny."

Alec appeared to be feeling much better and was actually getting some of the color back in his face. Emmett and Quil started telling him about our show and how great Edward was. I glanced at him sideways and I swear I saw his face flush pink with all of the praise everyone was giving him. He just shook his head and told everyone he had a great teacher while pointing at Alec.

I was a little confused by that so I raised my eyebrows at Alec and asked, "When did you have time to teach Edward our whole set?"

He looked at me with hesitation in his eyes before he relented and told us all about the jam sessions he and Edward had while everyone else was preoccupied. I was shocked that he had already known all of our songs and now it made perfect sense that he would play them without making any mistakes.

We stayed in Alec's room for another hour when one of the night nurses came to shoo us out. We told her we would leave if one person could stay there for the night. She agreed and Quil made himself more comfortable on the extra bed he had already been using. We all said goodnight to Alec and Quil and turned to leave. Before anyone could make it out of the door Alice spun around and started bouncing up and down, "Ooh, before everyone leaves, I have an idea for tomorrow."

I rolled my eyes at her hoping she wasn't going to say shopping before Jasper stepped up, "What's that Ali?"

"Well, I think since tonight was such as great collaboration between our two bands, we should all go out on the town tomorrow night and celebrate." She said as she was shifting her gaze back and forth between Edward and I obviously waiting for one of us to say something.

Emmett was the first one to speak, "Sounds good. What did you have in mind, gambling?"

Jake and Sam perked up at his question while Alice narrowed her eyes at him, "No, we're going to go out to dinner and maybe a club."

Jasper was the first one to speak up, "Sure, that sounds like fun. We'll be there."

I saw Edward give Jasper a quick elbow to the ribs but it didn't even phase him. Alice looked directly at Edward and said, "Alright, we'll meet you guys in the lobby of the hotel at 7:00. Don't be late."

With that we all left Alec's room and went back to the hotel.

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EPOV

We finished our concert and I can't say I wasn't disappointed when we went backstage and no one from Crimson Eyes was there. Marcus told us they had all gone to the hospital to check on Alec and he was heading there as well. Before anyone else had a chance to speak, I said that we should all go too. No one said anything to disagree with me so we all left.

We got to the hospital and found Alec's room after finding the nearest nurse's station. When we stepped in, the scene was something I wasn't expecting. Quil and Alice were lying on one bed sleeping and she had her head resting on his shoulder. I looked at Jasper to see his reaction but the scene in front of us didn't seem to bother him at all. He smiled and sat down on the end of the bed and was watching her intently as she started to wake up.

Emmett was crashed out in a chair in the far corner of the room with drool dribbling down his chin. Rose was looking at him with a strange expression and at first I though she looked disgusted but then her face softened as she walked over to him. She sat down on his lap and kissed his forehead before he stirred and opened his eyes. His whole face lit up when he realized who had woken him up and reached up to wipe the drool from his mouth. He reached up and pushed a piece of stray hair away from her face and kissed her cheek.

Alec was sleeping and looked like he was feeling better but that wasn't what had my complete attention. Sleeping next to him was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. Bella was curled up and sleeping on her side with her arm resting above her head. She had the most serene look on her face and I swear an angel couldn't compare to her at that moment. I was a little disturbed that she was lying in a bed with someone else while I was standing there but I knew that he was like a brother to her and he felt the same way about her. I was staring at her longing to be the one lying next to her when Jake crossed in front of me and flipped the overhead light on.

Alec woke up and looked a little confused at first when he opened his eyes. He smiled when he realized we had all shown up to check on him and it was clearly after the show by the time showing on the clock hanging on the wall. He went to shift over in the bed when he realized Bella was sleeping there. He started poking her in the arm until her eyes opened and she was staring into the light above her.

Emmett and Quil started telling Alec about me playing with them and soon everyone was falling all over themselves telling me how great I was. I'm usually pretty smug when it comes to taking compliments but after I saw Bella looking at me, I could feel my face start to heat up. I didn't want to take anything away from her or Emmett and Quil so I just told them that Alec was a great teacher. Bella raised her eyebrows at Alec and started asking questions about me knowing how to play their songs. He told them all about our jam sessions and how he even knew how to play some of our songs.

We stayed in the room for awhile chatting until a night nurse came in and kicked us out. We were about to leave when I saw Alice spin around at the door, "Ooh, before everyone leaves, I have an idea for tomorrow."

Jasper's eyes lit up no doubt thinking about getting to spend some time with her, "What's that Ali?"

"Well, I think since tonight was such as great collaboration between our two bands, we should all go out on the town tomorrow night and celebrate." It looked like she was waiting for a response from either Bella or I as she was looking back and forth between us.

Emmett grabbed Rose's hand before asking, "Sounds good. What did you have in mind, gambling?"

Alice looked a little irritated at the gambling question but I saw Jake and Sam smile at the mention of that, "No, we're going to go out to dinner and maybe a club."

"Sure, that sounds like fun. We'll be there." Jasper said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

I elbowed Jasper in the ribs for agreeing without asking us first when Alice looked at me and said, "Alright, we'll meet you guys in the lobby of the hotel at 7:00. Don't be late."

We left the hospital and went back to the hotel. I got back to my room and saw my cell phone was flashing which meant I had a bunch of missed calls. I slid it open and started scrolling through the missed calls. I saw my parent's number a few times but all of the other calls were from the same number. I didn't even need to look at my directory to know that it was Tanya's number. She had called me thirty three-times today after I left to head down for sound checks. I rolled my eyes and started deleting them without checking all of the call times. I saw that she had also left several voicemails but I didn't even bother listening to them. I did, however listen to my parents message.

My dad had called to tell me they were going to be in Chicago for a few days when we were scheduled to be there. I was really excited at the thought of seeing my parents. I tried to call them as often as I could while on the road but I hadn't seen them in awhile. My father, Carlisle was a doctor in Seattle and my mother, Esme was an architect for a large firm so they weren't able to travel as much as they'd like. As their only child, I felt guilty for moving away from them but I swore I would go back once my career took off and I didn't need to be in L.A. on a full time basis.

I put my phone down and went to bed thinking about seeing my parents in Chicago.

***********

I slept in the next day until two o'clock in the afternoon. I was exhausted from the day before so I decided to lounge around my room for the day. I was watching Mythbusters when someone started pounding on my door. I got up and opened it and as soon as it was open, Jasper rushed into my room.

"You're not ready yet." He said with irritation in his voice.

"Ready for what?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We're going out with everyone tonight." He stated like I was an idiot.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." I said as nonchalantly as possible.

"Go get ready, we have to be in the lobby in fifteen minutes." He said as he ushered me toward the shower.

I grabbed a pair of jeans and a green button-up shirt and headed to the bathroom. I got showered and dressed as quickly as possible. We were headed down to the lobby twenty minutes later and I could tell that Jasper was getting antsy by the way he was tapping his foot on the floor. We stepped out of the elevator and I couldn't help but let out a small gasp as the breathtaking sight before me.

Bella was standing next to Alice wearing a short green dress that came down to her mid-thigh, making her legs look long and slender all the way down to her silver heels. The dress was form fitting and it showed off every curve of her body in the most flattering way.

I was ogling her when I heard Jasper clear his throat beside me. I snapped out it and walked toward them and noticed Alice was wearing a yellow baby doll dress that went well with her small frame making her look adorable with her short black hair pinned up on the sides.

I looked around and saw that none of the others were there waiting with them. I was just about to say something when Alice must've noticed my confused expression, "They all headed into the casino when you weren't here at exactly 7:00."

I couldn't believe they wouldn't give me a lousy five minutes, "I was only five minutes late."

Bella started laughing and Alice replied, "Well, they may have already been a little irritated when I dragged them out of there a half hour ago to get ready."

I chuckled at the thought of little Alice dragging Emmett and Quil around. We all walked into the main floor and started looking around for the guys. Soon, we found Emmett, Quil, Jake, Sam, and Rose sitting around a Blackjack table with a bunch of chips in front of each of them.

We stood behind them and watched them play before Alice started to get really impatient, "Guys, if you're not done in ten minutes, we're leaving without you."

Emmett's head snapped up, "Why don't the four of you go and we'll catch up with you after dinner."

Jasper was quick to reply as we'd been standing around for almost an hour waiting for them, "We'll meet you guys at the club later."

I saw Jake look up and wink at Bella before we walked away. I was feeling a little uncomfortable with the way this night was turning out. To anyone else, it might like we were out on a double date and I wasn't sure that was something I was ready for. After all, Bella and I were just starting to get along better. Jasper and Alice were holding hands as we walked down the strip and I hadn't noticed at first, but Felix was actually following us in an inconspicuous manner. I rolled my eyes as I saw him smirk at me when I had glanced in his direction.

Bella and I walked side by side behind the two of them for a little while before we came to a little Italian restaurant that Alice had made reservations for. She was pissed that she had to call and change the time when everyone else had bailed on us but it ended up working out since we now only had a party of four. I noticed that Felix was staying outside when we entered so I asked Bella when we were seated at our table, "Your goon isn't coming in here with us."

She rolled her eyes at me, "He's not my goon. And no, he's trying to keep a low profile so he won't be joining us. I didn't want his presence to interfere with my life so James agreed to him keeping a distance since no one has actually tried to contact me in person."

I frowned at the thought of her stalker still following her around, "So, do they have any leads yet?"

She looked down at the table and I immediately felt bad for bringing it up, "No they don't. I can't believe with all of the technology out there that they can't figure out who it is."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up" I blurted out before she could continue.

"Don't worry about it. By the way, thanks for last night again. I truly appreciate what you did for us." She said trying to change the subject.

I smiled at her, "No problem. Let's just hope Alec watches what he eats from now on."

We both started laughing at that. It was then that I noticed Jasper and Alice hadn't said a word so I looked up to see what they were doing. They were both leaning into each other and whispering in each other's ears. Every couple of minutes, one of them would start laughing lightly. It was too sickening to watch so I turned my attention back to Bella.

The four of us ate dinner and shared stories about other members of our bands since the tour had started. We were on our second bottle of wine and we were all laughing hysterically at everything that was being said. I made sure not to bring up anything related to Bella and I and our stormy past or anything related to her stalker situation. I even avoided bringing up stories about Jake but Jasper was insisted on telling them some of the goofy shit that he does. I know Jasper was doing it on purpose to provoke me but I just watched Bella listen to those things and hoped she would think he was an idiot.

We left the restaurant and walked down to a nightclub that the concierge had suggested from the Bellagio. Again, I saw Felix was following us but the wine must've loosened me up because it didn't quite bother me as much as it did earlier.

We walked into the club and found a table off to the side of the main dance floor. A waitress came over to our table and as she was looking at us intently. I noticed Jasper, Bella, and I all put our heads down as she was continuing to stare while Alice ordered a bunch of shots and mixed drinks. We weren't even thinking we would get recognized in a place like this and I hoped we wouldn't run into a mob of fans. It's hard to be able to go out and let loose and since the night had been going so well so far, I didn't want that to change.

After she left our table Bella spoke up, "Holy Fuck Alice! Are you trying to get me drunk tonight?"

Alice just smiled at her, "My dear, we are all getting drunk tonight."

Jasper just sat back and started rubbing Alice's arm while we waited for our drinks. The waitress returned with a whole tray of drinks and as soon as she put them down in front of us, we all started slamming down shots. I was definitely started to feel a pretty good buzz when Alice grabbed Bella's hand and dragged her out to the dance floor.

Jasper and I sat there and watched them for quite awhile before we saw a couple of guys start to dance near them. I knew that nothing good would come out of that situation so I looked over at Jasper hoping he was thinking the same thing I was thinking. He looked at me and without saying a word I stood up and started to head out there. We made our way out to the dance floor and before I could really think about what I was doing, I grabbed Bella from behind by the hips and pulled her into me.

The familiar jolt ran through me as I held onto her. She was startled at first but when she looked over her shoulder and saw that it was me, I felt her body relax into mine. The next thing I know, she's grinding her ass into my cock and causing me to harden a little more with each push against me. I turned her around to face me and as soon as I did, I bent down and started running my nose along her jaw line. Her hands came up to my chest and soon they were running up and down my torso. I started to nibble on her ear when I heard her let out the sexiest whimper I had ever heard.

We continued to dance and toy with each other through a couple of songs when she decided she wanted a drink. We went back to our table and not five minutes later Jasper and Alice showed up looking like they were up to something.

Alice had a guilty looking expression on her face when she turned to Bella, "Bella, would it be alright if Jasper and I left?"

Bella looked a little stunned they wanted to leave already, "Sure, I'll go with you."

Jasper shot me a pleading look and I knew exactly what was going on then so I turned to Bella, "We can stay for awhile if you want. The others are supposed to meet us here anyway."

"Okay, I'd like that." I swear I saw a lustful glint in her eye as she said that.

Alice mouthed to me, _'Thank You'_ as she and Jasper left. Bella and I stayed at the table and continued to pound down the shots. This girl could really hold down her liquor and we were actually having a lot of fun together. I didn't know what was happening between us but it felt like we were finally becoming friends and the more time we were spending together, there was no denying the attraction that I'm sure both of us felt toward the other.

We continued on like that for what seemed like hours and soon I noticed that none of our band members had shown up like they had told us they would. I though it was getting late but soon after that Bella and I were practically holding each other up and I didn't really care what time it was at that point. That was the last thing I remember before I blacked out.

**********

My head was pounding so hard when I woke up that I couldn't open my eyes. I was laying there when I heard a familiar female voice say loudly, _"What the Fuck!"…….._

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_No songs or quotes for this chapter!_

_One thing to note, I couldn't get the link for Bring Me To Life with the twilight clips to work for the last chapter so I just put in the regular video, Enjoy!_

_Next Chapter - Blackout_


	17. Chapter 16 Blackout

_I do not own any of the characters below – they are owned by the great SM_

_I hope you really like this one so Enjoy!_

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Chapter 16 – Blackout

EPOV

My head was pounding so hard when I woke up that I couldn't open my eyes. I was laying there when I heard a familiar female voice say loudly, _"What the Fuck!"_

I picked my head up from the pillow I was laying on and turned my head in the direction from where the voice had come from. I slowly opened my eyes as I silently cursed the bartenders and waitresses that had kept the booze coming the night before. Things remained blurry for a minute before the figure in front of me came into focus and as soon as I realized who it was, I became like a statue.

Sitting up on the other side of the bed wrapped in a bed sheet, was Bella Swan. I couldn't believe the image in front of me so I closed my eyes and waited for the apparent hallucination to disappear. I opened my eyes again but she hadn't moved. She was still there and glaring at me like I had just killed her favorite pet. I moved to sit up when the blanket shifted down my hips and I realized that I wasn't wearing any clothes.

'_Holy Fuck'_ I thought to myself as I moved my eyes up and down Bella's body trying to determine if she was in the same predicament that I was in. She must've realized that I was checking her out because all of a sudden she snapped at me, "What in the hell happened last night?"

I didn't know how to respond to her since I didn't even know what had happened the night before but my instincts went into overdrive when I heard the sharp tone she had used with me, "How in the hell should I know."

"Don't fucking lie to me! Did you or did you not take advantage of me last night?" She hissed at me with fire burning in her eyes.

Now I was getting pissed, "How dare you accuse me of taking advantage of you. If anything , it was probably the other way around."

She got up on her knees and launched herself across the bed toward me in one swift move and slapped me across the face, "Fuck you!"

I put my hand up and rubbed the spot where her hand had just made a mark and couldn't help myself but smirk at her, "I think you already did that."

At this point, she became even more enraged and put her hand up to hit me again. This time I was prepared and when her hand moved forward I grabbed her by the wrist and stopped her before she could come into contact with my skin. As soon as I had one hand in my clasp, she moved to bring the other one forward. I grabbed it and soon had her flat on her back with both of her arms pinned up above her head while my body was hovering over her.

She was squirming underneath me and trying to free herself when I pressed myself down on the length of her body to make her calm down. I had completely forgotten that I wasn't wearing any clothes so when I saw her look down at our now connected bodies I became a little self conscience. The only thing separating us was the bed sheet she was wrapped in and I knew she had felt my arousal pressing into her thigh.

"Get off of me." She screamed in my face as I held her down tightly.

"Not until you agree to stop fucking hitting me." I shouted back at her.

She was furious at this point but nodded her head, "Fine, let go of me now."

I complied and released her from my grip as I grabbed the blankets to cover myself before she had a chance to peek at the goods, although I'm fairly certain that had already happened. She stood up from the bed and stood there briefly before stomping off in the direction of the bathroom. That was when it dawned on me that I didn't recognize the room we were in. I got up and found my boxers and jeans strewn across the floor. I saw Bella's clothes were also scattered all over the place. I wish I could remember our little escapade because it looks like we had quite a bit of fun.

I looked around for a few minutes but didn't see any of her luggage anywhere so I did the next best thing, I picked up the hotel phone and dialed the front desk. I was more than a little shocked when the voice answered, "Good Morning Mr. Masen, how can we make your stay at the Venetian more pleasurable."

I sat down on the edge of the bed for a brief moment trying to figure out how we had managed to check into this hotel but someone cleared their throat on the other end of the line so I answered, "I'd like to order some breakfast please."

"Yes sir, we do have a limited breakfast choice after eleven o'clock but we do have some other excellent choices available." He stated as if he'd said that response a thousand times. I looked over at the clock for the first time and saw that it was nearly four o'clock in the afternoon.

I fumbled around for a minute trying to find the menu when a piece of paper on the desk caught my eye. I picked it up and swear my heart had just about jumped out of my chest. I must've dropped the phone because I heard someone shouting at me in a muffled tone. I quickly picked it up from the floor and told him I would call back later before setting it back on the receiver. In my hand, I was holding a Certificate of Marriage from the state of Nevada for Edward Anthony Cullen and Isabella Marie Swan.

I stood there for what seemed like an eternity when I heard the bathroom door open from the other side of the room. That was when I looked at my hand and realized that I was wearing a ring on my left hand's ring finger. I stared at the black band with gold scrollwork wrapping around the whole thing for a few minutes before I looked up and saw a very pale-looking Bella standing there wrapped in a towel with wet hair draped down over her shoulders.

She didn't say anything but she seemed to be looking through me as if she were in a state of shock. I was about to walk over to her when I saw the same ring on her left hand as well. She must have realized the same thing that I had when she was in the bathroom. I picked up the marriage certificate and without saying a word I walked over to her and pushed it toward her.

She snapped out of the coma-like state she had been in the whole time she'd been standing there and reached out for it. She started reading it over with a range of emotions flashing across her face; shock, fear, grief, and finally anger. I was about to say something when she snapped her head up with the most furious expression I had ever seen, "What the fuck did you talk me into?"

I was beyond irritated that she automatically assumed that I was to blame, "I didn't talk you into anything. I don't even remember anything from last night."

She stood there for a minute more and then started storming around the room looking for something. I couldn't even say anything at that point. How do you talk to someone you couldn't fucking stand for the longest time and then find that you've married said person. This was a fucking nightmare and to top things off, our new found friendship has seemed to have gone by the wayside.

She was wandering around muttering under her breath when I saw tears streaming down her cheek. I didn't want to say anything else to set her off again so I moved to the bed and sat down. I needed to think about the entire situation as calmly and as rationally as possible. Maybe it was some kind of sick joke that the others played on us. I don't remember them showing up last night but maybe they did and this was some big prank they were playing on us because we were too hammered to realize what was happening.

I was still overwhelmed at the thought of being married to the one woman I have often referred to as The Bitch. I couldn't say a word so when she appeared in front of me fully dressed, I was at a loss for words. The only thing that I could say was, "We're at the Venetian"

"What?" She asked with annoyance as she crossed her arms over her chest.

I looked at her and I could still see the anger on her face so I said through clenched teeth, "I said, we're at the Venetian."

She was about to say something or most likely start yelling at me when someone started pounding on the door.

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BPOV

I woke up with a splitting headache and couldn't even find the energy to open my eyes. I knew that I'd been drinking at some club but the last thing I remember was dancing provocatively with Edward. _'Oh my god'_ I thought to myself as the images of him grinding his erection on me and me egging him on flashed through my mind, _'What in the hell was I thinking?'_

I started to feel a little nauseous so I decided to open my eyes to keep the room from spinning. I was laying on my side and when I opened my eyes I didn't recognize the room I was in. I stayed still for a minute trying to recollect my actions from the night before while trying to fight back the effects from my alcohol consumption at the same time. Nothing was making any sense and I knew I needed to get up and figure out where the hell I was.

As my senses started to come back, I realized that I was completely naked and only covered by a sheet. I moved to sit up and as soon as I did, I felt the bed shift next to me. _'This can't be good'_, I thought to myself as I slowly turned to see who was there with me. I looked to my left and sure enough, I wasn't alone. There in all his naked glory was none other than Edward Cullen.

"What the Fuck!" I practically yelled as realization set in that we were both lying in a bed and both completely naked.

Once the words left my mouth he opened his eyes and turned to face me with a shocked look on his face. I immediately pulled the sheet up around me tightly hoping that nothing was showing. His face took on a new expression which I couldn't quite read while I was praying that nothing sexual had happened between us. I knew that was probably wishful thinking since my body was aching all over as if I'd been ridden hard and put away wet.

I saw his eyes start wandering up and down my body and I was instantly pissed, "What in the hell happened last night?"

I could see the bitterness come across his face that I had seen so many times in the past, "How in the hell should I know."

I could feel the rage building from deep within me at the thought of him taking advantage of me in my inebriated state, "Don't fucking lie to me! Did you or did you not take advantage of me last night?"

"How dare you accuse me of taking advantage of you. If anything , it was probably the other way around." He snapped back at me.

I got on my knees while still totally wrapped in the sheet I was clutching onto and launched myself across the bed toward him and slapped him across the face, "Fuck you!"

He started rubbing the side of his face where I had just slapped him and looked at me straight in the eyes and smirked, "I think you already did that."

'_He was fucking smirking at me'_, I became enraged and put my hand up to hit him again. I was about to make contact when he grabbed my hand tightly with his and held it within his grasp. I moved to hit him with the other hand that wasn't restrained when he grabbed it and flipped me down on the bed so that I was lying on my back. He pulled my arms up so they were above my head and moved his body so he was directly over me.

I tried to wiggle my way free but wasn't having any luck. He only seemed to become stronger in that moment and pressed his body down on mine to keep me from moving. I stopped moving for a second and looked down to where our bodies were touching and saw that he was completely nude. The only thing separating us was this thin sheet and in that split second I felt his hardness against my thigh.

"Get off of me." I screamed in his face as his grip became more firm.

"Not until you agree to stop fucking hitting me." He shouted back in my face.

I was furious but I wanted him to get off of me so I nodded, "Fine, let go of me now."

He released me and as soon as I sat up he was pulling the blankets over himself. Once I was upright I started to sway slightly and knew standing up so fast had been a bad idea. Before I had a chance to see his naked form, I headed to where I thought the bathroom was. I practically sprinted in and bent over the toilet releasing all of the leftover alcohol from my system. I laid down on the cold tile floor hoping the hangover I obviously had would soon go away. I needed to get the fuck out of here as soon as possible.

I knew that I wasn't in my hotel room at that point because it didn't look anything like the room I had been staying in. I kept thinking I was in his room but still couldn't recollect how I had gotten there. The more I thought about it, the more pissed off I became. I needed to clear my head and figure out how to confront him about the whole situation so I jumped in the shower to relieve some of the tension that was now making for hangover worse.

I stayed under the hot water and let my body release the dizziness and nausea that was threatening to take over me. As I stepped out from the shower, I reached for a towel and wrapped myself in it knowing that I didn't know where in the hell my clothes were and that was only going to compound the embarrassment I was feeling in an already fucked up situation.

I felt a hundred times better after the shower so I stood in front of the mirror and started running a towel over it. I knew I was going to have tangles if I didn't get to a brush but figured my fingers would have to do the trick until I could get out of here.

I was pulling my fingers through my hair when I felt something catch. I pulled my hand out and that's when I noticed sitting on the very important finger of my left hand was a black ring with gold scrollwork wrapping all the way around it.

'_Please tell me that's not what I think it is' _I groaned to myself as thought of all the fucked up situations I could've gotten myself into, this was the worst one. I started to have an anxiety attack at the thought of being married to a man that I fucking hated. Well, at least I used to hate him before we came to our silent truce. We were at least becoming friends and now I can't even fathom the ramifications of what occurred during our drunken night of fun.

I was having a difficult time breathing so I stepped out of the bathroom only to find Edward standing there holding a piece of paper with a blank expression written across his face. I immediately searched for his hand only to confirm my suspicions when I saw a matching ring on his left hand. He didn't say anything so I was surprised when he walked over to me and shoved a piece of paper at me. I reached for it and sure enough, in black bold letters were the names Edward Anthony Cullen and Isabella Marie Swan on a State of Nevada Marriage Certificate.

I stood there for a minute while my mind went through all of the emotions that were threatening to consume me. I couldn't fucking believe it and The Asshole still hadn't said anything so my anger started boiling over, "What the fuck did you talk me into?"

His head shot up and he hissed at me, "I didn't talk you into anything. I don't even remember anything from last night."

I just stood there trying to come up with something else but decided I just wanted to get the hell out of here. I started stomping around the room trying to find my clothes so I could get dressed. I didn't say anything else to him so I just started thinking about what I would do. I was so upset with myself for entering into the sanctity of marriage during a drunken night of fun. I could feel the tears brimming from my eyes as I found all of my clothes laying all over the floor. This is not how it was supposed to happen and now if that day ever comes, I'll be a woman who's already been married before. Divorce was not something I had ever thought I would do but I think that's the only thing that can come from this situation.

I put the clothes on while he hadn't moved an inch from where he had sat down on the bed. I started to feel a little guilty that I hadn't even considered how he was feeling at this moment so I walked over and stood in front of him.

He finally looked up at me, "We're at the Venetian"

"What?" I was annoyed that that's all he could say after the shocking revelation we had just discovered.

He was obviously trying to hold back from his anger so he replied through clenched teeth, "I said, we're at the Venetian."

I was about to start screaming at him again when someone started pounding on the door. I looked toward the door and panic started to run through my whole body. I started shaking and couldn't move from the spot I seemed to be glued to.

Edward stood up and brushed past me to open the door. He threw the door open and there stood……..

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_No songs or quotes for this chapter!_

_This chapter is where one of the main plots of the story begins so please let me know how you liked it. I'd like to have at least 100 reviews before I post again so please, please, please, review. The next chapter is almost complete._

_Next Chapter - Holy Matrimony_


	18. Chapter 17 Holy Matrimony

_I do not own any of the characters below – they are owned by the great SM_

_Sorry it took so long to get this one out. The next chapter will be posted much faster._

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Chapter 17 – Holy Matrimony

BPOV

Edward stood up and brushed past me to open the door. He threw the door open and there stood my very angry looking brother with a smug looking Rosalie standing at his side. He looked at Edward like he was going to rip him apart from limb to limb. I think the only thing stopping him was the fact that Rose had one of her arms interlocked with one of his.

I let out a small gasp as Emmett's eyes met mine and I brought my hand up to my mouth as if I was a child about to be scolded. Emmett thundered in past Edward and stopped right in front of my face, "What in the hell are you doing here?"

I didn't know what to say to him at this point. I knew that it didn't matter what I said, he was going to be really pissed. I couldn't help but wonder what he'd be more pissed about, the fact that I had slept with Edward or the fact that I was now married to him. I decided that I didn't really care, today was not the day for Emmett to go all overprotective on me.

Before I had a chance to step forward and say something, Emmett grabbed Edward by the front of his shirt and shoved him against the wall. I stood there and watched as Edward's eyes narrowed at my brother and he quickly pushed him away. I was more than surprised that he seemed to give no effort in pushing Emmett away from him. I saw both of them clench their fists and I knew this was not going to be good.

I finally stepped in between them and said, "Emmett, what the fuck are you doing here?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? What are you doing here?" He said with rage in his voice.

"That's none of your business." I told him back with as much venom in my voice as he had given me.

His eyes narrowed at me as he spat back at me "It is my business when my sister has been missing all fucking day."

Now I was more confused, "Missing. Who says I've been missing? And what do you mean all fucking day"

Now he looked even more pissed that I was possibly a willing participant in this fiasco, "Felix, that's who. After you two disappeared last night, he and James have been scouring the city looking for you."

I furrowed my eyebrows together, "Why didn't he just check in the hotel?"

Rose moved toward me this time, "Because you weren't there. We've been looking for you guys all day."

I glanced at the clock positioned on the night stand and realized it was after four o'clock in the afternoon, "Holy shit!"

Edward hadn't said a word at this point so I was a little startled to hear his voice, "If we're not at the Bellagio, then where are we?"

I was a little confused by his question since he had just told me where we were. I still couldn't remember how we had been able to get away from Felix last night but I'm sure we would find out later. All of a sudden I felt like a little kid that was about to get into a lot of trouble.

Rose turned to him and said, "This is the Venetian you dumb ass. Apparently a Mr. and Mrs. Masen checked in at four o'clock this morning."

"Masen, where did that name come from" I said as I turned to Edward.

He was about to answer me when Rose interrupted, "That's his mother's maiden name. He uses it when he doesn't want to be found by anyone."

I looked over at Emmett who was shaking his head when I turned back to Rose who was now staring at my left hand. She stepped toward me and reached for my hand as I tried to put it behind my back. She moved closer and grabbed my arm pulling my hand out from behind me. I tried to back away from her and ended up with my back pressed up against Edward. He seemed to tense when our bodies came into contact.

She gasped when she saw the wedding band sitting on my ring finger and immediately looked at Edward's hand for a minute. She released me from her grip and started walking around the room. I was watching her when my brother cleared his throat obviously not noticing the exchange that had just taken place.

I was still standing up against Edward when Emmet gave me a disapproving look. He finally opened his mouth to say something when Rose started swearing from across the room, "Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!"

Emmett turned away from Edward and I and walked over to where she was standing. "What's wrong Rosie, baby?"

Sure enough, she was holding our marriage certificate and holding it like it was about to catch fire. She didn't say anything so he reached out and took the paper away from him. I watched his expression carefully go from shock to anger in one split second, "Motherfucker."

He started storming back toward us and I stepped back as far as I could, pushing myself into Edward as far as I could go. Emmett stepped in front of me and grabbed me by the shoulders to move me out from in front of Edward. I tried to push him away but wasn't having any luck when I felt a pair of strong hands reach around my waist and move me backwards.

In an instant, Edward was now holding a protective stance in front of me. I suddenly had a strange feeling watching the whole scenario play out in front of me. He was trying to protect me and that act in itself caused me to become overwhelmed with emotion as I slumped to the floor. I looked up just as Emmett had raised his fist to punch Edward and screamed at the top of my lungs, "Stop."

Emmett held his fist back mid-air and looked down at me as the tears were flowing down both sides of my face. He put his fist down and I could see Edward relax slightly. He was still standing over me with his body locked tightly waiting for Emmett to attack. Emmett crouched down on his knees and started moving toward me with an apologetic expression written across his face. I knew my brother wouldn't hurt me but Edward wasn't moving out of the way so I finally crawled out from behind him.

"I'm sorry Bells." He said with a guilt ridden tone.

I couldn't hardly get the words out as my sobbing continued, "It's alright."

He reached over and pulled me into his arms and held me while I continued to sob against him. I couldn't seem to stop myself as all of the stress I had been feeling overtook me in every way. I was so upset with myself for allowing my life to become so out of control.

We stayed like that on the floor for quite awhile when the tears finally stopped. I almost forgot that Rose and Edward were still in the room when I heard them talking in very low voices. I couldn't make out what they were saying but I could tell Edward was getting pissed as his voice started to rise, "Don't fucking tell me what to do Rose."

I snapped my head up and saw they were having a very heated discussion. I felt Emmett's big arms wrap around me tighter as he pulled us up from the floor. I looked around the room and said, "Let's get out of here."

Edward and Rose both turned toward me at the sound of my voice. I could tell they were both upset but I could see something else in his eyes. He almost looked like he was trying to say something with his eyes but his face still held a hardened expression.

Rose was about to say something when her phone started ringing. She pulled it out and flipped it open, "Hello."

She waited for a minute before speaking, "Yes, we found them."

I looked over at Edward who wasn't paying attention to anyone else in the room when I heard Rose say, "Alright, we'll head down in the service elevator and wait for you guys."

Emmett had his arm draped across my shoulders as Rose ended her conversation. She turned to us, "We need to get out of here. James wants us to take the service elevator down to the third floor where he'll meet us to get us out of here without being seen."

My heart started thumping loudly against my chest at the mention of James. I knew he was probably more pissed than anyone since he has devoted so much time and energy into my protection. I'm sure Felix wasn't too happy with me at this moment either. I felt bad that I had probably made them worry but it was already starting to become annoying having someone with me at all times. I needed my alone time every once in awhile to keep things in my life straight. It's no wonder I ended up getting married last night.

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EPOV

We left the room that Bella and I had stayed in and made our way down to the third floor as James had wanted us to do. When we got down there James and Felix were waiting for us. Felix was shooting daggers at me with his eyes while James maintained his composure and acted in a professional manner. They led us through the stairwell to the parking area where a black limousine was waiting for us. There weren't any people around when we got there so we were able to get in the car without any trouble.

No one said anything as we rode the short distance to the Bellagio. I snuck a glance at Bella whose eyes were still red from the crying fit she had before we left the Venetian. Emmett was looking at me with his jaw clenched but I knew I was safe from his wrath while Bella was still in our presence. I knew once I was left alone with him, I'd probably get my ass handed to me.

That, of course, was the least of my problems. I needed to figure out what we were going to do. I knew there was no way we could stay married and I was hoping that the four of us were the only ones to know. I'm sure we could have this little issue taken care of discretely and no one would have to know anything about it.

I was still agitated that Rose was giving me a lecture like she was my mother about how irresponsible I was. I didn't need to listen to her shit today. I was already pissed at myself for getting into this ridiculous situation. I hadn't even had a chance to discuss any of this with Bella yet and she was already telling me to call a lawyer to help with all of the financial ramifications that come with marriage without a pre-nuptial agreement. My head was starting to pound from all of the shit she was putting into my head along with the insane amount of alcohol I had consumed the night before.

We got back to our hotel and entered the elevator to go up to our rooms. We reached our floor and as soon as we were all getting off, I heard James cell phone ring. He answered it and just as I was about to head to my room, he called out, "Edward, Bella, you two need to come with me."

I turned around as he was still holding the phone up to his ear. He closed it and motioned for Bella and I to follow him. I saw Emmett start to walk with us but James held his hand up, "You need to stay here, only Bella and Edward are needed."

Emmett was about to protest but I saw Bella shoot him a look that said not to worry. We followed James down to the end of the hallway where an executive suite was located. He pulled out a key card and I couldn't help but feel like I was about to be scolded for all of the shit that happened last night. I saw Felix following close behind but as we stepped through the door, I saw him stop and stand by the door like he was a soldier ordered to stand post.

We walked into the room and I saw a figure standing near the window gazing out across the city. He turned and I knew we were fucked. There stood Aro with a scowl written across his face. I didn't expect to see him here and I think the shocked expression on my face only added to his apparent anger.

He walked toward us and before he said anything, he picked up what appeared to be a remote control and pointed it at the TV located in the center of the room. As soon as it came on, there were images of a very drunk Bella along with myself heading into a twenty-four hour wedding chapel. There must had been at least a dozen pictures flashing across the screen and then what appeared to be a gossip reporter came on and started talking about the marriage between us. I almost started laughing at the different shots they were showing because we were barley standing up strainght and appeared to be holdong each other up. I was surprised when one of the photos showed us staninding on the steps sharing a passionate kiss. It was then that I really wished I could remember everything from the night before.

I looked over at Bella who looked absolutely mortified and then back at Aro who was seething. I opened my mouth to say something when Aro began, "I can't even begin to tell you what you two have done."

He stood in front of us, "Take a seat, we're going to be awhile."

Bella and I both sat down on the couch we had been standing in front of. Aro started pacing back and forth in front of us shaking his head. He finally stopped and sighed, "What possessed you to go out and get drunk, get married, and then disappear?"

I was looking down when I heard a small voice speak from beside me, "I'm so sorry."

I stole a sideways glance at her before speaking, "We made a mistake. I'm sure it can be fixed."

Aro's eyes bore straight into me, "No Edward, this isn't something that can be fixed. The whole world knows about this now and there's nothing that can be done."

Bella spoke up, "Can't we get an annulment or something before it gets out of hand?"

I was grateful that she had brought it up since I wasn't sure how to go about it when Aro started shaking his head and laughing darkly to himself, "It's not as easy as that. You two are the lead singers for two of the hottest bands in the country right now who also happen to be touring together."

I didn't like where this conversation was going and was starting to regret my reaction to Rose bringing up the need for a lawyer. I hadn't said much of anything but knew by the way Aro was talking, our careers could possibly be affected by this. I wasn't about to give up everything I had worked so hard for so I decided to just sit back and do whatever Aro said, "What can we do?"

He took a deep breath before he started speaking, "Here's what's going to happen. This whole marriage debaucle is going to continue until the end of the tour."

Bella shot up out of her seat, "You can't be fucking serious. We can't fucking stand each other."

"Well you two should have thought of that before. Your actions last night put the whole label at risk and now you have to face the consequences. Besides, from the photos the paparrazzi got of you two, you look awfully cozy together." He said with venom in his voice.

She didn't say anything else as she sat back down but I could feel her shaking next to me. I was a little upset at the fact she told him that we couldn't stand each other since we had been getting along recently. I guess we were back to square one with our friendship. I sat there and inched myself back in my seat waiting fro him to go on.

Aro cleared his throat, "And when I say the marriage will continue, that means you will act like a happy married couple when in the public eye. When a reporter asks any questions related to your relationship, you'll talk about how wonderful it is."

I could tell Bella was beside herself at this point so I decided to jump in, "We can do that."

He gave me a small smile before continuing, "We will be holding a press conference tomorrow before we leave Vegas to let the whole world know about your new found love."

I almost choked as he said the word love but decided not to push him any further. It was then that Bella spoke again, "Does this mean we can end this as soon as the tour is over?"

"Of course, we'll work through all of the details later." Aro said with sincerity. I could tell he was really trying hard to maintain his professionalism but it seemed like there was more he wasn't telling us. I leaned forward and asked, "Is there anything else we need to know?"

He looked back and forth between us before he said anything, "In order to keep up with this charade, you guys will be sharing a hotel room whenever one is required along with making appearances together enjoying extracurricular activities when not performing. We are going to make the best of this for as long as necessary."

I sat back and let it all soak in for a minute before leaning forward again, "Fine."

At this point I just wanted to get the fuck out of here. I needed to be alone and think everything through before giving the performance of my life for the next six months. I stood up to leave before he could make any more demands when he spoke again, "By the way, the room sharing happens from this point forward. Bella I need your key card so I can have your things moved to Edward's room."

She stood up at this point and pulled her clutch open. She fumbled around for a minute before pulling her key card out and handing it to him. I could tell she was beyond pissed and I would be facing her wrath soon enough. Aro stepped back and retrieved something from his briefcase and when he came back, he was holding another key card. He handed it to Bella while gesturing toward me, "This is another key for his room. Why don't you two go and get some rest. We have a full day tomorrow before we head to Chicago."

Without another word said, we both turned and left Aro standing there. Bella was following me as we headed down to the other end of the hallway to my room. She still hadn't said anything and I was starting to feel her eyes blazing into the back of me. We finally made it to my door and I slid the card into the slot. I was about to go in when I heard Felix's voice coming from down the hallway, "Edward, I need to talk to you for a minute."

I could tell Bella was exhausted so I held the door open and let it shut behind her as she went in. I stopped and waited for Felix to catch up, "Look man, I'm sorry if we got you in trouble last night."

He looked at me with a guilty expression, "I wasn't paying attention, some girl named Heidi was flirting with me so I didn't even see you guys come out. I stood out there for awhile before I went in to check on you two. That's when I realized you weren't there. It was my fault that you guys got into this mess."

I was taken aback that he was taking the blame for this, "Don't worry about it. Bella and I are both adults and I'm sure we made this decision without thinking of the consequences."

He still looked like he felt bad, "That may be true but I'm supposed to be keeping her safe, and now you. I just wanted you to know that I won't make the same mistake again."

"Thanks Felix, and I am sorry if you're in any kind of trouble." I responded hoping to ease his guilt about the situation.

He smiled, "Don't worry about me. James wasn't too pissed but he did warn me not to let it happen again. After all, she still has a secret admirer we're trying to catch."

I hadn't even thought of her stalker until that point and I was almost relieved that I'd be around her a lot more to keep anyone from getting close to her. With that, we said our goodbyes and I went back to my room. I was standing at the door about to slide the key into the slot when I heard what sounded like someone was yelling. I couldn't make out who it was since the voice was muffled but I fumbled around with my key and immediately got the door open.

I think my jaw dropped to the floor at the scene unfolding in front of me as Bella was standing there screaming at someone, "He's my fucking husband."

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_Thanks to all of you that have reviewed. I promise the story is only going to get better so keep letting me know how I'm doing!_


	19. Chapter 18 Sweet Dreams

_I do not own any of the characters below – they are owned by the great SM_

_Warning - this chapter holds the first lemon of the story (in italics)._

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Chapter 18 – Sweet Dreams

EPOV

I think my jaw dropped to the floor at the scene unfolding in front of me as Bella was standing there screaming at someone, "He's my fucking husband."

I looked toward the bed and there was Tanya dressed in black lingerie kneeling on the bed with her arms crossed over her chest. She was rolling her eyes at Bella and started yelling back at her, "Edward Cullen is NOT married. I would know, I've been his fucking girlfriend for the last year."

"Listen here skank, get the fuck out of my room before I call someone and have you hauled out of here." Bella growled back at her.

Tanya got up from the bed and started moving toward Bella with her fists clenched at her sides, "Don't call me a skank."

I could help the chuckle that escaped from me watching these two stare each other down but as soon as I made a sound they both turned to me. Bella was glaring at me while Tanya's face lit up as she ran over to me. I couldn't help but think it was ironic that the woman I couldn't seem to escape was excited to see me but my wife looked like she was ready to kill me any second..

Tanya wrapped her arms around me and as soon as she touched me I tensed up. She tried to move her mouth to mine but I moved away from her before her lips could connect but she didn't seem to notice that I was trying to evade her.

"Eddie, thank god you're here. This crazy woman came into your room and demanded to know who I was and told me to get the fuck out of here." She said motioning to Bella.

Bella's face turned beat red and I could feel the rage rolling off of her in waves but before I could say anything Tanya started again, "I think you should call the front desk and have her escorted out of here. She's obviously delusional, she says you're her husband."

I looked at Tanya as she was batting her eyes at me and at that moment I knew what I had to do. I moved away from Tanya and walked over to Bella. Before she could say anything I reached my arm around her, pulling her into me and turned back to Tanya, "Bella is my wife and if anyone is going to get escorted out of here, it's going to be you."

She looked back and forth between us for a few seconds before her eyes started welling up with tears, "Eddie, how could you do this to me?"

I held Bella a little tighter, "I didn't do anything to you. I've told you time after time that you weren't my girlfriend. I don't know how I could have made myself any clearer."

The tears were streaming down her face as she was about to say something else before I cut her off, "Tanya, I'm sorry you're hurt but I'm married now and you need to leave our room."

She looked at me with pain emanating from her face but moved toward the closet. She pulled out her long coat over her body and walked to the door before turning around and facing Bella with a new emotion showing, "This isn't over Bitch." With that, she left slamming the door as hard as she could.

I didn't realize I still had my arm wrapped around Bella until she shoved me away from her and stormed off to the bathroom. I sat down on the couch and started removing my shoes when someone knocked on the door. I got up dreading who I might find on the other side but figured it was inevitable. I pulled the door open and was about to yell at whoever it was when I found Felix standing there holding a couple of duffle bags and a guitar.

"Ahh, Bella's things." I said as I gestured for him to come in.

He set her things down on the small table located in the corner, "I ran into Emmett on my way over here. He was trying to figure out which room was yours but I told him you guys weren't available tonight, Aro's orders."

I nodded at him, "Thanks for the help, that's one conversation I'm not looking forward to having."

He left after that and I went over to my bag to grab something to wear to bed. The day's events were starting to catch up with me and I was feeling quite tired as a result. I was digging through my bag when I heard the bathroom door open. I turned around and saw Bella enter the room. Her eyes were red and her face looked puffy like she had been crying.

I didn't know what to say to her since this was the first moment we'd been alone since we realized we were married so I decide to keep it simple, "Felix brought your bags."

She looked over to the table where he had put her stuff and she walked over and started going through one of them. She didn't say anything to me as she grabbed what looked like sleepwear and walked back to the bathroom.

I couldn't tell what she was thinking so I decided to bit the bullet and ask, "Bella, what are you thinking?"

She looked at me and I could see so many emotions flickering across her face, "Edward, I don't want to talk about it tonight."

I nodded at her, "Alright, we can talk about everything in the morning."

She went back into the bathroom and after a few minutes she came back wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I had never seen her in her comfy clothes and I couldn't help but think she looked more beautiful like this than when she was all dolled up. I grab, bed my pajama pants and a t-shirt and went in to take a shower. After cleaning up and getting dressed I left the bathroom and found Bella in the bed curled up in a ball on her side sleeping soundly.

I stood there and watched her sleep for a few minutes before grabbing a pillow and an extra blanket from the closet and laid down on the couch. It didn't take long for sleep to take me under.

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BPOV

I didn't feel like talking to Edward about the meeting with Aro and the fact he told us we had to stay married. I didn't think he could actually do that but I was afraid of what would happen if we didn't go along with it. I didn't want to ruin my career when it was finally taking off and I wasn't just thinking og myself. This whole situation could affect so many people because of our stupidity and I didn't want that either. My brother, Alec, and Quil had given up so much to get where we're at and I couldn't let them down.

I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to stay married to Edward let alone have to pretend to be in love with him when we're out in public. It was bad enough that we already had to play along with it when I found that skank in our room. I had never seen her before but she definitely fit the typical slut that I had pictured him dating. It was obvious that they had history together but I couldn't help but feel a little smug when he told her that I was his wife and she would be the one escorted out. I shuddered at the thought of the two of them together but quickly reminded myself that it didn't matter, he didn't matter.

I sat down on the edge of the bed hoping we could work out the sleeping arrangements soon. I could hear the shower running so I decided to lay my head down and rest my eyes until he came out and figured out which one of us was going to take the couch.

_It was dark when we entered the room and we were both stumbling around and laughing at ourselves. As soon the door was shut I turned and shoved him against the wall. I pressed my body up against him rubbing my hands across the tight muscles in his chest. I looked into his eyes and I could see the lust burning in them._

_I crashed my lips to his and opened my mouth as his tongue entered me hungrily not stopping until we were both panting heavily. He pulled his mouth from me and started trailing it down my jaw line until he was licking and nipping at my neck. I groaned at the feelings he was stirring within me and could feel the moisture pooling between my legs._

_I felt his hands trailing down my sides and bringing them to the back of my neck where he pulled the zipper down on the back of my dress. I pulled away from him long enough for my dress to fall to the floor before assaulting his mouth again with my own. I trailed my hands up and down his chest as I started unbuttoning his shirt. I got all of them undone and placed my hands on the skin underneath as our mouths continued moving together. I pushed it from his shoulders and he reached up to remove the rest._

_As soon as his shirt was gone, he pulled me up and turned around so that my back was up against the wall. I wrapped my legs around him and I could feel his hardness pushing into my wet center. One of his hands made its way to my breast as he cupped it and started massaging as his mouth started sucking on the other through the thin lace bra I was still wearing. I moaned at the contact and could feel my nipples hardening more as he continued to touch me._

_I could feel him harden even more when his mouth started trailing it's way back up my body and his hips thrust forward. I needed to feel more as he continued to grind against me while licking my collarbone._

"_Edward, I want you inside me, NOW." I said breathlessly as his lips crashed back onto mine. He placed his hands on my ass and pulled me closer to him as he carried me to the bed. He laid me down and hovered over me as I unbuttoned his pants and started pushing them down. He lifted himself up and pulled them the rest of the way as I reached behind my back and unhooked my bra._

_I swear his breath hitched as soon as I removed it and he kissed me passionately before whispering breathlessly, "You're so fucking beautiful my wife." He removed my panties and flung them from the bed as I reached up and planted kisses across his chest._

_My hips thrust forward as I felt his hand slide down my slit and his thumb brushed against my clit before he began rubbing it sensually. _

"_You're so wet for me Bella." He said before pulling my bottom lip between his and sucking on it. I could feel my climax coming on stronger than I'd ever felt before as my stomach tightened._

"_Fuck, I'm com…." I screamed out in pure ecstasy as he continued rubbing my clit until I finished riding out my orgasm._

_When I was done, he positioned himself at my entrance, "I need to feel you around me Bella."_

_I nodded still out of breath from my powerful orgasm as he pushed inside of me. He stilled for a minute allowing me to adjust to his size before he started thrusting in and out. We moved perfectly together like we were made to fit each other. It didn't take long before the familiar tightening in my stomach started again and as I wrapped my legs around him I could feel him hitting just the right spot as he drove into me deeper._

_I knew he was close as my own orgasm took over, "Fuck, Shit, Fuck….Edward" I screamed out as my walls clenched around him pushing him over the edge with me._

"_Fuck, Bella." he panted as he stilled and I could feel him pulsating deep within me._

_He collapsed down on me for a minute before pulling out. I groaned at the loss of contact but he rolled us over to our sides and began kissing me again. We stayed like that for awhile with our arms wrapped around each other as we drifted off to sleep holding each other._

THUMP!

"Shit!" I heard coming from an all too familiar voice.

My body jerked up and I realized I had been dreaming as my head shot around the room looking for the source of the noise that had woken me.

It was dark but I could see the outline of someone moving on the floor near the couch. I reached over and turned the lamp on that was next to the bed. As soon as the light flooded the room, I saw Edward half sitting on the floor rubbing his head with his eyes closed.

"What happened?" I said as I stood up and walked over to him.

He looked up at me as he was squinting due to the sudden change in light hit him. "Nothing, I fell off the couch." He said motioning to the couch where a blanket and pillow were lying.

I couldn't remember how we had come to our current sleeping situation so I must've fallen asleep before we had a chance to talk about it. I felt bad that he had gotten the couch since he was obviously too tall for it and I ended up in the king-sized bed. I reached down and grabbed his hand to help pull him up.

"Thanks" He said as he stood up and stretched.

I looked at him seeing a little bit of his happy trail where his shirt had ridden up and couldn't help but think about the dream I was having before I woke up. I heard him clear his throat and when I looked up, I knew he had caught me looking at him like that.

I could feel my cheeks burn as I looked away from him, "Sorry for taking the bed. You can have it, I'll take the couch."

I heard him let out a breath so I turned back to him. Before I could say anything else he started, "I'm not going to make you sleep on the couch. It's fine really."

I could see the red mark on his forehead from where he hit the coffee table, "I'm smaller than you are. It makes sense."

"Bella, you need your rest and I can tell you from experience, it's not that comfortable." He said with a stern voice.

I knew I wasn't going to win this argument so I started walking back to the bed. I looked over to see him getting situated again and felt guilty.

"Edward, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but this bed is big enough that we can share it. You just stay on your side and I'll stay on mine." I said partially hoping he wouldn't really take me up on the offer.

He grabbed the pillow and came over to the bed with a small smile forming on his lips, "Don't worry. I'm too tired to try anything on you tonight."

I reached up and swatted him as he laid down, "Just stay over there, got it."

"Got it." He said as he started yawing and started making himself comfortable.

I pulled the blankets up over myself and reached over to turn the lamp off.

"Sweet dreams Bella" He said once the light was off.

"Sweet dreams to you too Edward." I replied before falling back onto my pillow and started thinking about the dream I had earlier. It seemed so real that I wondered if it was a dream at all or if I was finally remembering from the night before. I guess I'll never know for sure but it was definitely _sweet!_

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_Okay, so I was a little nervous posting this since I've never written a lemon before so please let me know if you liked it._

_Next Chapter - The Rules _


	20. Chapter 19 The Rules

_I do not own any of the characters below – they are owned by the great SM_

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Chapter 19 – The Rules

EPOV

"Edward!"

I shot straight up as soon as I heard someone scream my name. All I saw was darkness so when I tried to stand while frantically scanning the room for the source of the scream, I accidentally tripped over the blanket that was tangled around my legs and fell straight down. As my body was falling to the floor I put my hands up to soften the landing but managed to bang my forehead on the coffee table.

THUMP!

"Shit!" I practically shouted once I was on the ground. I pulled the blanket that had been wrapped around my legs and threw it on the couch as I sat up feeling dizzy from the impact my head had just taken. I laid back down and tried to slowly sit up while keeping my eyes closed in hopes I didn't pass out. I still didn't know if someone was in trouble and at this point there was no way I could help that person anyway. I was almost at a sitting position when I started rubbing my forehead to see if I was bleeding or possibly had a lump forming. Fortunately, I didn't feel anything so decided I was probably going to be alright.

I sat there for a couple of minutes when I heard a sweet voice talking to me, "What happened?"

I opened my eyes and noticed the light had been turned on. I blinked my eyes rapidly to adjust to the light that was now shining in my face from the direction of the bed. Bella was standing over me with a confused expression on her face probably due to the fact I was still on the floor so I tried to explain while motioning at the couch, "Nothing, I fell off the couch."

Her expression changed from confused to guilt ridden as she reached down and grabbed my hand before I had a chance to react and pulled me up from the floor.

"Thanks" I said sounding surprised that she had made the gesture.

I stood up straight and started to stretch my body as the effects from sleeping on the too small couch were starting to creep into my muscles. I brought my arms down and hadn't noticed that Bella was still standing there until I glanced back down and saw the glazed over look in her eyes as she was watching me. I couldn't help but feel a little smug that she was obviously ogling my body but since we were already stuck in this awkward situation, I decided to go easy on her and keep my remarks to myself and just clear my throat to get her attention.

She must've realized that I had caught her at that moment because she jumped slightly and her cheeks started to turn red.

She looked away from me and apologized, "Sorry for taking the bed. You can have it, I'll take the couch."

I couldn't believe she was apologizing to me so I sighed in response, "I'm not going to make you sleep on the couch. It's fine really."

She looked back up at my face, "I'm smaller than you are. It makes sense."

I was starting to get a little agitated at this point. My mother had taught me to be a gentleman, not that I always put that knowledge to good use but I wanted to try and be civil, "Bella, you need your rest and I can tell you from experience, it's not that comfortable."

She looked like she was about to say something else but instead started walking back to the bed. She stopped once she reached the side she had been laying on and looked back up at me, "Edward, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but this bed is big enough that we can share it. You just stay on your side and I'll stay on mine."

I wasn't sure if she was serious or not but I was too tired to care so I grabbed a pillow and walked over to get in bed. I couldn't help but smile at the irony of our sleeping arrangements since this would be the second night in a row that we'd be in the same bed together, "Don't worry. I'm too tired to try anything on you tonight."

She reached over and swatted me on the arm with a small smile forming on her lips, "Just stay over there, got it."

"Got it." I said before yawing and pulling the blankets up over myself.

She pulled the blankets up and reached over and shut the light off.

I took a moment to listen to her breathing before saying, "Sweet dreams Bella."

"Sweet dreams to you too Edward." She said before nesting into her pillow and drifting off to sleep.

I laid there for a few minutes thinking about the day's events and how they had all led to me sleeping in the same bed as Bella. It was then that I suddenly remembered the whole reason I was startled awake in the first place. Someone, and that someone most likely was Bella, had screamed my name right before I had fallen from the couch. She didn't look like she was waking from a nightmare when she walked over to help me from the floor so I wondered what she had been dreaming about. I was too tired to think about it any more so I decided to ask her about it in the morning. I rolled over on my side and fell asleep.

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"_I need to feel you around me Bella." I whispered into her ear breathlessly as I moved to enter her._

_She nodded at me as I entered her wet center. I couldn't believe how tight she was as it was taking all of my self control to keep from thrusting inside of her as hard as I could. As soon as I had control of myself and knew she had adjusted to me, I started pumping in and out of her slowly until she wrapped her legs around my waist and I sped up the thrusts as I pushed into her as deep as I could go. _

_I could feel her muscles begin to tighten around me and it only took a moment for her to start screaming, "Fuck, Shit, Fuck….Edward." _

_If I thought she was tight when I first pushed myself into her then nothing can compare to the feeling when she clamped around me like a vice holding my cock and I couldn't hold back as she milked my seed from me, "Fuck, Bella."_

At that moment I felt someone trying to push my arm away from where it was wrapped around something. I rolled over and opened my eyes to reveal I had my arm gripped tightly around Bella's waist with my raging hard-on pushed into her back. She was trying to pry my fingers away from her body and as soon as I realized I wasn't dreaming anymore I quickly released her.

She sat up and whipped around so she was facing me with a shocked look. Her face was beat red as she opened her mouth to say something but immediately stopped as her eyes raked over my body. I looked down and saw the sheets were pulled down my legs and my boner was showing through my thin pajama pants.

I rolled over to the opposite side of the bed and threw my legs over the edge. I wasn't sure what I had been doing in my sleep but I had a pretty good idea with the way Bella was trying to get away from me. I turned around to face her but the shocked look on her face was gone and she was smirking.

"Shut up, I'm a guy." I said to her as I stood up and headed to the bathroom to take a very cold shower.

"Did you have nice dreams?" She asked as I was walking through the door and when I turned around to look at her she had a knowing look on her face. _'Fuck' _I thought to myself as I went in and turned the cold water on without answering her.

Nice dreams can't even describe the dream I'd been having when I woke up. It seemed so real that I swear it was really happening. I jumped in the shower to take care of my problem. I couldn't go all day without some kind of release after that dream so I wrapped my hand firmly around my throbbing cock and pumped it until I was shooting cum all over the shower wall.

I finished washing up and stepped out realizing I hadn't brought any clothes in with me. I wrapped the towel tightly around my waist and stepped out of the bathroom to find my clothes. Bell was sitting on the bed with her back to me talking on her phone, "Okay, I'll see you in Chicago then."

She paused for a couple of minutes before I heard her say, "Love you too Dad, Bye."

She set her phone down and blew out a deep breathe before looking up at me. I must've looked like a deer caught in headlights as I was frozen where I stood after she said the word _'Dad'_. She stopped moving and her face froze when she realized I was standing there. Her eyes betrayed her again as they moved up and down my body. It was my turn to smirk at her as she was caught yet again.

As soon as she realized she'd been caught she straightened up, "Jane called and she'll be here in an hour to talk to us."

'_Jane' _I thought, "What's she doing here?"

"Apparently our marriage is all over the place and she flew in late last night to do damage control." She said as she got up and walked over to her bag.

I stood there for a minute trying to figure out what to say to Jane when she got there. I knew she'd be pissed at us for getting married during a drunken night. I was actually more afraid of Jane's reaction than I was of Aro's.

My thoughts must've been written all over my face when Bella spoke again, "You know they can't really make us stay married, right?"

I snapped out of it and looked at her face, "True, but what will happen to our careers if we go against them?"

I think she was expecting a different reaction from me so she looked down to her feet and sighed, "I know, there's no way I can let the guys down and fuck this up for them."

"Same here." I said as I realized we would be fucked if they dropped both of our bands from the label. I couldn't imagine that happening since both bands had Grammy awards behind us but you never know in this business.

She grabbed her things and wandered over to the bathroom and turned around to face me before she went in, "I guess we'll just have to get through this together then."

I stood there for a couple of minutes letting her statement sink in. We were being backed into a corner and she wasn't going to fight it. I decided right then that I would do whatever needed to be done on order to protect Breaking Dawn and Crimson Eyes.

I got dressed quickly and decided to order room service since I was completely starving. I wasn't sure what Bella would want so I just ordered a bunch of stuff and waited for them to bring it up to our room. It wasn't long and she came out of the bathroom with wet hair and new clothes on.

"I ordered us some breakfast." I said to her as she grabbed her hairbrush and started working on her hair.

"Great, thanks." She replied while pulling her hair into a ponytail when she was done brushing it.

I was amazed at how beautiful she looked when it only took her a minute to get herself ready, "No problem."

She smiled at me and then it looked like she had suddenly remembered something, "By the way, my dad knows about all of this."

I cringed at the thought of her father coming to beat the hell out of me, "Is he mad?"

She looked away trying to hide her face as she answered me, "I'm not sure. He was more pissed that he couldn't get a hold of me after our pictures started showing up all over the TV."

I wasn't sure I wanted to hear anymore so I tried to lighten the mood a little, "Well I'm sure my parents will be thrilled. They're going to be in Chicago while we're there for a couple of days."

The expression on her face at that moment was priceless as she spoke, "My dad is coming too."

I think my jaw dropped to the floor with that statement, "Seriously?"

"Yeah, he wants to meet my husband since I was too busy to bring him home to meet him." She said trying to make me feel better.

"Let's just hope Emmett doesn't get to him first or I'm a dead man." I said half jokingly.

She shuddered at that thought, "Don't worry about my brother. I'll talk to him."

I was about to say something else when there was a knock at the door. I walked over to open it and as soon as I opened it something fell to my feet. I looked down and couldn't believe what I was seeing. Laying at my feet was a dead rose with a note attached. I picked it up and read it:

_Bella,_

_Plan for this world as if you expect to live forever; but plan for the hereafter as if you expect to die tomorrow._

ハンター

I saw red as I read through the note and immediately looked down the hallway to see if the perpetrator was still in sight. There wasn't anyone there as I scanned in both directions hoping to find the fucker responsible for this and stepped back into the room holding the dead rose and the note. I heard a gasp when I turned around to Bella standing there with wide eyes full of fear.

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BPOV

I thought the knock on the door was signaling that our breakfast had arrived but when Edward turned around and was holding a dead rose with a note my body began to tremble with fear. Only a few people knew where I was and it scared me that my stalker had found me yet again. I had no idea if anything was left at the room I had been staying in before since I hadn't been back to it since the first night we were in Vegas.

I quickly pulled myself together and noticed the look of anger on Edward's face. I don't think his anger was aimed at me but he looked awfully scary standing there with his hand clenched on the note. I walked over to him and tried to pull it out of his hand, "Let me see it."

"No, I don't think that's a good idea" He said as he tightened his grip on the thick piece of paper.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Give it to me, I have a right to see it."

He let go reluctantly as I pulled it from his grasp and began to read it. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes as I re-read it a couple of times trying to come to terms with the threat that was clearly written on this note.

I could feel the tears break over the rims of my eyes and flow down my cheeks as a pair of strong arms wrapped me up in an embrace. We stood there for a couple of minutes while I sobbed into the front of Edward's shirt letting out all of the fear and frustration that I'd been holding back since the notes and roses had first started.

He started rubbing small circles on my back and was humming soothingly as he held me tightly. My tears were slowly starting to dwindle when there was another knock at the door. It startled me so when I jumped, Edward and I both almost fell over as I pushed myself into him a little too hard. He managed to keep us both upright and moved to answer the door.

He pulled me behind him as if he were protecting me as he pulled the door open. I'm not sure what his face said when he opened the door but the look of fear coming from the waiter was all I needed to see to know. The young kid stood there for a minute before Edward motioned for him to enter without saying a word. He brought our food in and as we moved away from the door, I noticed Edward was keeping me behind him while the waiter arranged our food and poured the coffee. He pulled his wallet out and handed the kid a tip before closing the door after he was through it as fast as his legs could carry him.

As soon as the door had shut, Edward spun around and pulled me in for another hug, "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, I think this is all getting to me." I said as he studied my face, "Thank you."

He continued to look into my eyes for a minute before he pulled me over to the food. We didn't say anything else as we ate all of the food that he had ordered. I couldn't believe how hungry I was and practically licked the plate clean when I finished the pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns that once sat on it.

I heard a chuckle as I glanced up and saw Edward watching me intently with a strange expression on his face, "What?"

His face softened and he shook his head as he continued to eat, "Nothing."

We were finished eating and drinking our coffee when there was yet another knock on the door. '_I swear this place is like Grand fucking Central Station this morning'_ I thought to myself as Edward stood up to get the door. He walked over and when he opened it, there stood Jane holding her briefcase.

She didn't say anything as she walked in and went straight to the desk and started pulling files out from it. Edward hadn't left the door and I was quite surprised when I saw Felix standing there with a pissed off look at his face. I couldn't hear what they were saying but I saw Edward raise his hand and point his finger at Felix's chest. Felix raised his head and nodded before walking away.

Edward came back into the room and put a mile on his face, "Why dear Jane, to what do we owe this pleasure?"

At his words and the cheerful manner at which he said them, she whipped around and shot him an evil glare that I'm sure would incapacitate him if such a thing were possible.

I sat up and straightened my back, "Jane, before we get started I'd like to say something."

She moved her gaze from Edward to me and her face softened, "Let's hear it."

She was more abrupt than she'd ever been before with me and I started to lose my nerve, "First of all, I'd like to apologize for fucking up so badly."

She stood there and waited for me to continue, "Secondly, we've discussed this and we'll do whatever we have to in order to protect Vamp records and both of our bands."

I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw that Edward was now standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

She looked back and forth between us a few times before speaking, "I'm not going to sugar coat this for you two. This is a pretty serious situation and if one of you decides that you don't want to follow through with the game plan, then I can say your future and those around you could be put in jeopardy."

Edward took a step forward and I swear I heard a growl rumble from his chest. Jane turned to him and put her hand up to keep him from moving closer. "Sit down and take a look at the highlighted sections of your respective contracts." She said as she handed us each a thick stack of papers.

Edward came over to sit down on the couch with me and we both began to read through the documents that she had given us. Sure enough right there in black and white covered with yellow highlighter was the section detailing the expected ethics and morals one should live by while under contact with Vamp. It didn't specifically say that you couldn't go out and get married while drunk in Vegas but it certainly listed a lot of specific examples and some that could be deemed questionable.

I finished reading it and knew they had us right where they wanted us. This whole thing could definitely ruin our careers so now it was time to just sit back and go along with whatever they had planned. I looked over at Edward and he had finished reading his contract as well. He was staring off into space when Jane spoke, "Alright, now that you understand the position you've put Vamp in, I need you to both read over these addendum's written just for your particular situation and signed on the last page."

She handed us each a new set of documents and I began reading through it. Once I started in, I knew right away this was detailing 'The Rules' that would bind me to Edward until the end of the tour.

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After a couple of hours and several cups of coffee I finished reading all of the paperwork detailing my new life. I looked over at Edward just as he was setting his own copy down. He looked pissed and I knew exactly how he felt.

The whole addendum basically outlined every basic step to building a happy marriage. I swear I felt like I had just read one of those self help books on how to have a happy marriage and I wasn't impressed. We were going to be attached at the hip for the next nine months and act as the happy couple that we definitely weren't.

Public displays of affection would be required when necessary along with the whole living together arrangement. We would have to make special appearances together, hold hands, kiss, go on dates (arranged by Jane), and all of the other bullshit newlyweds would partake in. This was going to be worse than I thought it was going to be and I just hoped I could pull it off. Who knows, maybe the acting will come in handy someday. The only positive thing about the whole contract was the fact neither one of us could "commit adultery" during the time frame we had to stay married. I was glad that I wouldn't have to endure that type of humiliation, even if it was coming from a man I barely knew and actually hated up until two days ago.

I was interrupted from my thoughts with the sound of Edward's voice, "Jane, can you excuse Bella and I for a moment. We need to discuss a few things before we sign."

Jane furrowed her eyebrows before responding, "I'll give you guys ten minutes. Just know this, there really isn't anything you can do to get out of this besides throw away your future."

I couldn't believe she was talking to us like this so I shot her a dirty look as she was leaving the room. I was beyond pissed that she had basically just threatened us and wanted to take the ridiculous piece of paper and shove it up her ass.

Edward must have sensed my anger because he reached over and placed his hand on my arm, "Don't worry about her. This is what she does to make sure Aro gets his own way."

I relaxed back into the couch and waited for him to say something, "Alright, what do we need to talk about?"

He took a deep breath before speaking, "Just looking at all of this" He said motioning to the paperwork, "I don't see any way out of being married."

"No shit" I said sarcastically as he tensed up. I stopped myself from saying anything else as I saw him tense up from my hostile remark, "I'm sorry."

He relaxed slightly before going on, "I just wanted to ask you if you'll be able to handle all of this."

I thought about it for a second before answering, "I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

"You do realize, we will be living together, sleeping in the same bed, kissing, and holding hands, and all of that other bullshit." He said with a smug look on his face.

"I think I got that part." I said with hesitation in my voice. I wasn't sure how I would handle all of this but thinking back to all of the times we had interacted with each other, more specifically the kissing and knowing that we most likely already slept with each other, I was pretty sure it wouldn't be too hard to pretend with each other.

"Alright the, let's get this shit signed and get the hell out of this town." He stated with a sparkle in his eye.

I smiled at his enthusiasm and mention of moving on but stopped myself from thinking that far ahead, "There's one more thing we need to discuss."

"What's that?" He asked while flashing me his crooked grin.

"I just want to make it clear, I will not be having sex with you." I stated firmly.

The smile came off of his face and then he started smirking, "You mean to tell me that you're not going to have sex with your own husband."

I slapped him on the arm, "That's the kind of bullshit that got you on my bad side to begin with. Let's not go there again, please."

He started laughing, "I was kidding, wifey."

We both started laughing at that and when Jane returned a few minutes later she had an amused look on her face when she saw us.

"I see that you two are already getting into your respective roles." She said as she sat down across from us.

We both stopped laughing and looked at her. I reached over for the pen, "Let's get this over with, unless you want us to sign in blood."

She looked at me seriously, "Just use the pen, I don't think blood will be necessary, this time."

We both signed the papers and stood to get our things packed. Jane was still sitting there typing away on her laptop when her cell phone rang.

"We'll be right down." She said before snapping her phone shut.

It only took me a couple of minutes to pack since I didn't have a bunch of stuff scattered about. I made sure to grab the latest note so I could hand it over to James as soon as we saw him when Edward reached out and took it from me, "I'll make sure James gets this."

I stared at him blankly for a minute before responding, "I can give it to him."

He shook his head and put the note in his pocket. I didn't bother arguing with him at this point as we were just now getting along so well.

Jane stood up as we grabbed our bags, "Leave your bags, someone will come and get them."

I dropped my bag to the floor as she continued, "We need to get down to one of the conference rooms they've set up for us."

I looked at her questionable, "Conference room?"

"Bella, you two getting married is big news and we can't let the chance slip by for us to issue a statement."

Shit, I forgot about the press conference Aro told us about last night. I started to feel a little weak in the knees when Edward put his arm around my shoulders to keep me from slumping to the ground, "It's okay Bella. I'll be right there with you the whole time."

I looked up at him and he was grinning like the Cheshire Cat, "I know, but I haven't had a chance to talk to Emmett, Alice, Alec, or Quil about this. Letting the whole world know that I'm married and not telling them first just feels wrong."

I was cutoff by Jane, "Oh by the way, I'm sure you read the part where you can't tell anyone about your arrangement, make sure you stick to that."

I groaned at her little reminder and stalked off toward the door. I stopped before I opened it and turned around to face Edward, "Are you ready?"

He grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers, "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

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_There about to tell the whole world officially, finally!!!_

_Sorry it took a little longer to get this chapter out but I've been wallowing a little bit about the fact Wide Awake by Angstgoddess003 is coming to an end. Wide Awake was the very first fanfic that I started reading and I'm sad to see it end - sniffle, sniffle. Anyway, it's an awesome story and if you haven't read it yet, I recommend it wholeheartedly. I'm sure I'll get over it as there are a lot of great stories out there plus I'm having a blast writing this one. Check out my favorites if you're looking for something to read while you're waiting for updates!_

_Now, from this chapter, the quote:_

_Plan for this world as if you expect to live forever; but plan for the hereafter as if you expect to die tomorrow. - Ibn Gabirol_

_Thanks for reading and reviewing!_


	21. Chapter 20 Press Conference

_I do not own any of the characters below – they are owned by the great SM_

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Chapter 20 – Press Conference

BPOV

We stepped out into the hallway with Jane close by and found James and Felix were waiting to escort us to the press conference. Neither one of them said anything as we made our way to the elevator so I decided to break the ice before we had to discuss the night in question with the press.

"James, Felix." I said hesitantly.

They both turned their heads to face me and James spoke first, "Bella, I already know about the note from this morning and I can assure you that we will find him."

I paused for a minute as I wasn't expecting him to bring the death threat up right at that moment, "That's not what I wanted to talk about."

They both looked at me with surprised expressions when I continued, "I just wanted to apologize for leaving the club the other night without letting you know where I was going."

Felix relaxed his tight frame before he spoke, "It's not your job to apologize to me. If anything, I should apologize to you."

James cut him off before he could say anything else, "Listen Bella, this isn't the first time we've had to deal with personal security issues and I'm sure it won't be the last. I understand that you've had to give up a certain amount of freedom with someone hanging around you all of the time but we're only trying to keep you safe."

Edward spoke up at that, "Well I guess that's part of my job now."

Felix looked at him and grinned, "Maybe you could be my assistant."

Edward chuckled and before he could say anything else, James spoke, "I don't think that's going to work out."

"Why not?" Edward asked.

"I have brought in a personal security guard for you once Felix let me know about the note from this morning." James responded in affirm tone letting Edward know this wasn't open for negotiation.

I think both Edward and I were shocked about this new revelation and before Edward could protest, James continued, "We don't know who we're dealing with at this point, and trust me I wish we did. You two are married now and we didn't know how The Hunter would respond until you received the note this morning. I'm afraid you guys have may have angered him and I'm just trying to take the necessary precautions to make sure nothing happens to either of you."

Edward pulled the note from his pocket and handed it over to James without saying another word. The elevator finally arrived and we rode it down to the floor where the press conference was being held. As soon as the door opened we were greeted flashing lights and people shouting out to us. There was a big guy who was larger than Felix standing in front of the elevator doors when they opened and I saw James nod his head at him.

The big guy immediately started clearing a path for us to move to the back entrance of the conference room where we would be waiting until it was time for us to answer questions. As soon as we made it the room and I saw who else was in there, I wanted to turn back around and face the paparazzi by myself. Edward gave my hand a little squeeze as we walked through the door to face our band mates.

They were all there and as soon as we entered the room, Alice came running at me full speed and wrapped her arms around me. She started crying on my shoulder and murmuring in my ear, "I'm so sorry Bella. I never should have left you the other night."

I tried to hug her back when I noticed Edward hadn't let go of my hand so I gently pulled my hand away so I could hug Alice back and reassure her that she wasn't the one to blame and

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault." I said back to her while she was still hugging me.

I looked up and saw Jane looking at me skeptically when I remembered I had a part to play, "Besides, we don't regret it at all."

As soon as the words left my mouth she pulled back and looked at my face with disbelief coloring hers, "Are you kidding me?"

I looked over at Edward as he shifted his body toward me and wrapped my arm around his waist, "No, I'm not. We're really happy."

She studied my expression for what seemed like an eternity and when I think she was satisfied she smacked me in the arm, "I can't believe you got married and I wasn't even invited."

I leaned back into Edward and rubbed my arm where I was sure a red mark was forming, "Well it's not like we planned falling in love and finding out that spontaneity is really quite the aphrodisiac."

I was laying it on thick but I could tell she was buying into it by the way her eyes started to get misty and she was clutching her hand over her heart. She reached up and pulled us both into a hug while whispering, "I'm so happy you guys were finally able to really see each other for who the other one is and realize that you're perfect for each other."

My eyes started to tear up and I wasn't sure if I was crying because I knew that we were pretending to be in love and I was feeling guilty for lying to my best friend or at the fact we were finally starting to get along and become friends because of this whole arrangement. She finally released us and when I heard someone clear their throat beside us, I knew it was my brother right away.

I pulled back and came face to face with my brother whose face was much softer than the last time I saw him, "I'm sorry I was such as ass yesterday Bells."

I looked up at him before wrapping my arms around him "It's okay. I understand you're trying to protect me but you need to back off a little bit and give Edward a chance."

He pulled back and looked at me with a shocked expression, "I thought you were going to get an annulment."

I cleared my throat before Edward started speaking, "After a long night of discussion, we've decided to give our marriage a try."

His mouth dropped open along with everyone else's that was standing in the room. I looked over to my right and saw Jake standing there seething. His fists were clenched at his sides and before I had a chance to say anything he stormed over to where we were standing and jerked Edward away from my side.

The next thing I know he punched Edward in the stomach and started yelling at him, "How the fuck could you do that to me asshole?"

Edward straightened himself up, "What are you talking about?"

He pointed his finger at me, "Her, you knew how I felt about her."

Edward narrowed his eyes at him before he responded, "I thought you were just friends."

Jake didn't say anything else before he brought his arm up to throw another punch at Edward's face. Edward saw it coming this time so he ducked and came back with a counter punch right to the side of Jake's face causing his face to split open and blood to start falling down the side of his face. At this point Emmett grabbed Edward's arms and had them pinned behind him while Sam was holding Jake back.

Jacob stopped struggling and directed his gaze on me, "I thought we had something special, I can't believe you led me on like you did."

The sight of Jake's blood and the callousness of his words caused me to start swaying and the next thing I know, I had slumped to the ground and my vision had gone blurry. I hunched over and put my head between my knees to keep myself from fainting and ease the wave of nausea that had swept over me. I could hear buzzing in my hears and could make out the faint sounds of someone yelling but I couldn't move.

I was sitting there when I felt two arms wrap around me and in that instant I knew it was Edward. I thought it was staring that I could feel his presence without looking but then I remembered all of the jolts that flowed through my body every time he touched me. I don't know how long I had been sitting there but I started to regain focus and pulled my head up. As soon as I opened my eyes, I was met with a piercing set of emerald green eyes staring at me with concern emanating from them.

I moved to stand up and Edward wrapped his arm under me to help me before talking in a low voice, "Are you alright?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah, I just can't handle the sight of blood."

He chuckled softly before leading me over to a chair to sit in. I let him help me and was grateful that he wasn't being the same old jackass that he sued to be. In that moment, it almost felt like a loving gesture. I felt my heart begin to swell at the thought of him doing something so nice for me but then remembered why we were in this room in the first place. It wasn't hard to lose myself in Edward's presence and had almost forgotten there were other people in the room.

I had regained my composure and moved my head to see what everyone was doing. Everyone except for Sam and Jake were still watching me while those two were huddled in the corner having what appeared to be a heated conversation. Edward moved to sit beside me and kept an arm draped across my shoulders as I tried to recall what happened before I almost passed out.

I looked at Edward's face for a brief moment and could see that he had his eyes trained on Sam and Jake as if he were trying to figure out what they were saying. He must've noticed that I was looking at him because he turned his face toward mine and gave me his crooked grin before placing a tender kiss on my forehead.

He leaned into me and whispered, "I think Jake's pissed at us."

I gave him a guilt ridden look before whispering back, "No shit! I feel terrible."

"You don't have anything to feel bad about" He said trying to reassure me and squeezing me a little tighter.

"He's hurting right now and it's all my fault." I said gesturing toward Jake who was holding a towel on the side of his face where it had spilt open.

Edward moved away from me slightly and looked directly in my eyes, "How is this your fault exactly?"

I shrugged my shoulders and replied, "I just couldn't return his feelings for me. I told him that I only wanted to be friends and I thought he was good with that but apparently that wasn't the case."

"Well it's too late now. He's just going to have to get over it." He said as if Jake's feelings were no big deal.

"How can you act so nonchalant about it, I thought he was one of your best friends." I said while I raised my eyebrows at him.

"He is, but trust me, he will get over it" He said without any worry in his voice.

I was about to say something else when I saw a shadow looming over us. I looked up and Jake was standing there with a worried expression written on his face while Sam was standing to his left and shooting daggers with his eyes at both of us.

He looked at me first and began, "I'm sorry Bella, I don't know what came over me."

I was shocked that he was apologizing so quickly so I stood up and gave him a hug, "It's okay. I'm sorry if I ever gave you the wrong impression but I'd still like for us to be friends."

I pulled back and he turned to Edward, "Sorry, dude and held his hand out for a fist bump."

Edward hesitated for a minute and then returned the gesture with a small smile on his lips, "I'm sorry about your face."

Jake smiled back at him, "It wouldn't be the first time."

I looked at Edward who put his arm back around my shoulder and gave me an innocent look, "I told you we'd be okay."

I sighed and turned around to see James and Felix had come into the room with the big guy. They were watching us intently as if they were ready to intervene if need be. Everything had calmed down and I was about to make my way toward my brother who was talking with Alec when Jane opened the door and motioned for us to all go through. As soon as the door opened I could see flashes of light and a loud buzzing of mixed voices on the other side. We all moved to the door and as soon as everyone else had gone through, Edward gave me a gentle squeeze and led me into the conference room.

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EPOV

As soon as we were in the conference room, flashes were going off like crazy and everyone was shouting at us. Aro was standing at the podium and motioned for the small crowd of reporters and photographers to quite down before he began speaking, "I'd like to thank you all for coming. Today is a great day for Vamp Records. We knew from the beginning when we signed both Breaking Dawn and Crimson Eyes that we would be making music history. Just a few short months ago, we began our United Front tour with these two bands co-headlining all across the country and I can tell you, they are taking the country by storm. I've had the privilege of working with these young people and I can't think of a better group of musicians I'd rather work with."

He cleared his throat before continuing, "These two bands have formed a greater bond since they were both brought on to our label and it goes without saying, we are standing up here today as a United Front."

"Now, as some of you may have been told, Breaking Dawn and Crimson Eyes are now officially united with the marriage of their respective lead singers, Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. We at Vamp Records couldn't be happier for the young couple and want to wish them the best as we move forward."

At that statement I couldn't help but almost roll my eyes from the bullshit that was spewing from his mouth. If only the press knew exactly how happy Aro was for us, they'd have a field day with him. I started to tune out all of his well wishes before he stepped back and looked at Bella and I while the crowd erupted in applause.

He motioned for us to move up to the podium so I looked at Bella who was smiling at me nervously and pulled her forward. The noise died down and Victoria began pointing out who could ask us questions.

She pointed at a young blond girl first, "Bree Daniels from TMZ. First I'd like to say congratulations to both of you." We smiled at her as she asked her question, "How long have you two been together?"

I recalled the history of 'our relationship' had been covered in the paperwork that we had signed earlier that day so I took the chance to answer, "We've been together for about a year."

She looked shocked at my answer but proceeded on to her second question, "Did you plan on marrying getting married in Vegas prior to your wedding night?"

I felt Bella tense beside me and knew she would have trouble with this one as well so I answered again, "I proposed to Bella about six months ago, right after the Grammy awards. I wanted to make it a night to remember and when we found out we would be playing in Vegas during this tour, we decided to tie the knot while here in town."

I heard a small chuckle escape from Bella's mouth as I'm sure she was recalling the same memory from that night that I was, the red drink in my face. I couldn't believe I was standing up here answering questions about our fake history after I was so pissed at her that night. I almost started laughing at the strange turn of events my life had taken.

Bree looked at her small notepad before asking her final question, "Are there any plans for children?"

I was about to answer when Bella stepped up and responded with a sweet voice, "We plan on having children someday but right now we'd like to focus on our careers and each other."

She looked up at me and flashed me a smile before winking at me. I couldn't help but return the smile and leaned down and pressed my lips to hers lightly. I could hear all of the cameras going off but in that moment I didn't care. After all that had gone on over the last few days, I felt like I was actually falling for this woman and when she talked about us having children someday, it made my heart flutter a little.

I knew this whole thing was supposed to be fake but I couldn't help but think about all of the possibilities if we actually stayed together. I pushed that thought to the back of my head and returned my focus to the crowd.

*************

We answer questions for about an hour and I felt pretty good about the response we received from all of the reporters. I was a little nervous when a few of them started directing questions to other members of our bands but they all expressed their happiness for us and heartfelt wished.

I was a little surprised when Alec had actually started singing the lyrics to one of their songs, Forever, as part of his response:

_When I'm starting to drown  
__You jump in to save me  
When my world's upside down  
Your hands they shake me and wake me_

Oh, tell me You're here  
That You will watch over me forever  
Oh, take hold of my heart  
Show me You'll love me forever

Oh, tell me You're here  
That You will watch over me forever  
Oh, take hold of my heart  
Show me You'll love me forever, forever

It was a song from their first album and I had only heard it on my Ipod as I listened all of their songs over and over again while relaxing on the bus. It was actually a fitting song for a newly married couple and I was glad that he seemed to take this whole thing pretty well.

We left the conference room through the same door we had come in through and sat down on the chairs they had situated all over the room. Aro and Jane stayed behind and answered a few remaining questions about Vamp Records and when they walked in the room, I could tell they were both happy about the outcome of the actual press conference itself..

The stood at the front of the room and Aro began to address all of us, "Alright, we are going to be making a few changes for the duration of the tour."

No one said anything as he continued, "One, we are moving some of you around on the bus's. Edward, Jasper, and Rosalie will be moving onto Crimson Eye's bus and Quil and Alec will be moving to Breaking Dawn's bus."

I wasn't expecting this as I looked around the room to see the expressions on everyone's faces. Quil jumped up excitedly, "Awesome, we'll be on the party bus."

Bella started to question Aro before he started speaking again, "I thought we weren't going to make any changes during our travel time."

Aro shot her a warning look as Quil sat back down before he ignored her question and went on, "Two, we had such a great response from Edward's performance with Crimson Eyes the other night, we'd like to incorporate a collaboration on one song during both shows. Bella will sing one song with Edward when Breaking Dawn is performing Edward will sing one song with Bella when Crimson Eye's is performing."

I turned and looked at Bella's face and I couldn't tell if she was angry or sad about these new changes. I couldn't help but get a little excited at the prospect of us performing together on stage like the other night.

"Three, I'd like you all to meet Demetri." He said while gesturing toward the big guy that helped get us to this room before the press conference had started, "He will be working as part of the security team moving forward."

We all turned and looked at him while he wore an expressionless mask on his face. Aro went on to tell us that he would be returning to L.A. and Jane would be accompanying us to Chicago. We would be leaving as soon as he was done as all our personal effects had already been moved to the appropriate bus's that would be meeting us in Chicago. We were taking a private jet to Chicago later that day and would have a day to rest before the next show.

We all stood up to leave when he was done and I reached down and grabbed Bella's hand, "On to Chicago."

She gave me a small smile before answering me, "Chicago."

With that we left the Bellagio and headed to the airport.

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_The song:_

_Fireflight - Forever (A special thanks to kaulitz . twilight . lover __for recommending this band. I was having trouble finding a song with the right lyrics and this one worked well.)_

_Edward and Bella will be meeting their respective in-laws very soon. Also, just to give you a little advanced warning, there will be a lemon in the next one as well._

_Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed!_


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